The Weight Of Us
by bitchface-mcgee
Summary: Louisa Murphey liked the simplicity of her life. She never wanted more than she had or wished to be something she wasn't, but as fate deals her a hand she can't win, the only way to survive is to rely on a certain Viking to pull her through the darkness. More info inside - EricxOC fanfic
1. Chapter 1

So this is a re-write of a fanfiction I uploaded ages ago, one I never finished.

It starts from Mid-Season 1, and though some events will occur as they do on TB, there's going to be a lot of differences due to the addition of an original character, especially in the way of ships. It also starts with the OC in question being in a relationship with another canon character, but don't worry, this is an Eric Fanfic at heart. Please just read it with an open mind.

Anyway, I'm going to stop talking now. I hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

Louisa Murphey didn't hate her home town as many girls her age did. She rather enjoyed the quiet life, the promise of simplicity. There was no clichéd dreams of moving to the big city with her. She was perfectly content with things exactly the way they were. Bon Temps to her was kind of perfect in it's own dysfunctional way.

However, the people could leave a lot to be desired for.

"Lou, will you get your ass out here?" Sam Merlotte called from the front of the bar, earning a low groan from the girl in question. She'd been sat on the cold counter tops in the kitchen, legs folded and with a dinner plate in her lap.

"It's my break!" She shouted back in a less than composed manner, having no intention of cutting her time short for the sake of a few drunkards who needed serving. Tomorrow was the night of Arlene and Rene's engagement party, meaning the poor girl had been reeled into working all day. Therefore she didn't think it was too much to ask to eat her dinner in peace just once.

"Well, we need you out here!" Sam replied, and Lou could easily imagine the scowl that was now gracing his features. She'd been working in the bar and grill since she was seventeen. The pay was bad and her boss was grumpy as hell, but it was nice in a way. Besides, her co-workers made the time there bearable.

"He ain't gonna stop hollerin'." Lafayette warned from the cooker, he being one of the favoured cooks in question. Lou practically grunted in turn, shoving a few more fries in her mouth before she discarded her half eaten dinner to the side. As she jumped to her feet, she gestured between Laf and the plate.

"No one touches that, y'hear?" She warned with an almost playful smile.

"Baby girl, I'll protect it with my life." He chuckled, crossing his heart as he did. Before skipping back through to the bar she leant over and placed a kiss on his cheek, her subtle thanks for the free food. After wrapping her apron back around her waist she headed out.

Merlotte's was busy every night, and this particular Friday was no exception. The buzz of people rang in her ears and brought a small smile to her lips. The majority of the locals were assholes, that was undeniable, but they were her people. Plus if she smiled they tipped better.

"Thank you." Sam sighed as she wandered over to the bar, smiling just slightly as he did.

"You're a tyrant." Lou replied with a raised brow, but she couldn't stop the chuckle that followed. Once her waves of dark hair had been pulled back she went about her business, serving almost everyone by herself as Tara sat staring at her nails. It seemed the girl never did anything other than sit around looking pretty, but thankfully it wasn't long before Sookie finally walked in.

"And where the hell have you been?" Lou demanded before Sam had chance too. The blonde looked tired, more so than usual, but that was nothing new as of late. With the company she kept it was easy to see why she wouldn't get much sleep.

"I'm sorry, _real_ sorry, I just had to sort some stuff out with Bill first." Sook replied as she grabbed an apron from the rack. The two girls had been near inseparable since they were kids, always laughing and joking and whispering in each others ears. Sookie was just that kind of that person, the girl with whom you could entrust everything. Hell, Lou even made an effort to be nice to Tara for her.

Things had been a little strained as of late though. Since Bill Compton walked into her life it seemed Miss Stackhouse didn't have much time for anyone else, a fact that left a bitter taste in Lou's mouth. Don't misunderstand, she'd never had any qualms with Vampires. They'd not hurt her so what reason did she have to hate them? If Bill was human she'd dislike him just as much, though it was arguable things wouldn't be anywhere near as complicated if he were.

She just wasn't fond of all the trouble he'd brought into the her friends life.

"It's fine, Sook." Lou lied with a small smile, walking over to tie her up at the back. "I'm here if you need to talk, y'know?" She asked as she pulled the chords tight, before taking a small step back. The offer was always there, but she knew it was futile. Sookie never talked about what was going off between them. It was like the guy had made her take a vow of secrecy.

Just as she was about to reply, a familiar figure caught Lou's attention from the corner of her eye, making her turn with a smile that was reserved solely for moments like this. Any thoughts for the girl in front of her soon escaped and turned to him.

Jason Stackhouse. Asshole, womanizer, and the man who was in complete possession of Louisa's heart. Their's was a turbulent relationship, one that began when she turned fifteen and blossomed into womanhood, meaning young Jason finally paid notice to her. It was a whirlwind romance, one spent under the stars of summer nights and wrapped in tender embraces, but like all things that beautiful it couldn't last. If he wasn't off drinking with his jock friends, then he was in the bed of another woman whenever Lou wasn't there.

All the signs were clear that she should leave him, wash her hands of the boy who thought so little about destroying her time and time again, and in the past she had. Yet a few weeks after every break up they found themselves back together, right back in each others arms where they thought they belonged. So with a grin she ran over, his arms opening wide, ready to hold her as a smile pulled at his lips to match hers. Lou's body was wrapped around his in an instant, legs hitched onto either side of his waist and hands locked behind his neck.

"Fuck me, I missed you." Jason said in an instant, his fingers threading into the back of her hair to pull her lips down to his in a kiss. Lou chuckled as she returned the gesture, her mouth lingering for a few moments more before she pulled back again.

"I missed _you_." She replied brightly. If you were looking on as the two embraced you'd think that they'd been separated weeks, months even, when it fact it had been three days since the young lovers had last seen each other. Jason had been working a job with Hoyt in Shreveport, some construction work that had snatched them up last minute. Lou didn't exactly know the details, but she found it best not to ask.

"Do you guys mind?" Sam called from the bar, obviously not a fan of his staff jumping on his patrons whilst they're on shift. With a roll of her eyes Lou unwrapped herself, but remained toe to toe with the man in front of her, who didn't miss the opportunity to steal another kiss.

"And Louisa, I need a word." Her boss added loudly as Jason pulled her closer. Outright groaning against his lips now, and hardly in the way he might have wanted, Lou pulled away to look into his dark eyes.

"I'll be right back, okay?" She asked, earning herself a small smile, the kind that still made her stomach flutter. After pecking her mouth to his once more she marched over to Sam with a sort of venom in her glare that the small brunette was rarely capable of.

"This better be good Merlotte or I swear to god-"

"How'd you feel about getting a pay raise for tonight?" He interjected, which most certainly got her attention. Everyone knew she was in need of the money, what with her plans to finally move out of her Father's house.

"... Keep talking." She eventually said as she leant forward onto the bar.

"Well, y'see the thing is the law says we have to have at least so much Tru Blood on the premises, what with this being a licensed restaurant, and we gave our last bottle to Compton a few nights back..." He trailed on, seemingly reluctant to get to the point. When Lou failed to fill in the rest herself he continued.

"The shops are gonna all be closed now and we got an inspection in the morning 'cause of Arlene and Rene's party, and I need someone to go to Shreveport to pick some up." Lou nodded as he spoke, seeing no problem with heading out and grabbing a load.

"Yeah, yeah sure I'll go get it for you." She said with a smile, almost tempted to tell him to keep the pay rise. It really wasn't needed for such a small job. "Where am I grabbing it from?"

"Fangtasia." He said, eyes dropping from hers as he did. Suddenly it seemed a lot more clearer why he was prepared to offer her money. Louisa bit her lip for a moment before the laugh escaped, an outright cackle at his proposition vibrating around them.

"Y'think I got a death wish?" She demanded with wide eyes. That seemed the only logical reason why anyone would wander into that place. "Thanks Sam, but I don't intend on getting fucked against a bathroom wall by some Vampire or having my throat ripped out, so I'll pass." As she turned to walk off, he followed her.

"I'm desperate here, Lou! I'll give you fifty for it."

"Wow Sam, no need to push the expenses, I mean christ! We wouldn't want you going bankrupt!" She mocked, going to rejoin Jason who'd since taken up a seat in one of the booths, or at least she planned to until Sam's hand gently took hold of her wrist to pull her back over.

"A hundred! I'll give you a hundred dollars to just go and pick up one little box of Tru Blood." He said in a pleading tone.

"Get Sook to go." Lou said as though that would be the obvious choice, gently pulling her wrist back as she did.

"You don't think I already asked her? She said that something's going off with Bill and the guy that runs the place, that it'd be stupid of her to go. Just- please, Louisa." His voice was tipped with a little bit of frustration now, like he couldn't quite believe she was refusing so venomously. It was no secret that Lou was in need of money, especially if she was to ever find a house of her own, and the more she thought of this the more tempting the offer sounded.

"You'll pay me a hundred and fifty." She said, more to push her luck than to inadvertently accept his offer, though that seemed to be how he took it. Smiling brightly, Sam clapped her shoulder.

"Yeah, of course I will. It'll be ready and waiting for you the second you get back." He promised, but before she had anymore chance to protest he turned and headed back over to the bar.

It looked as though she was going to Fangtasia tonight, whether she wanted to or not.

* * *

"This is so fucking stupid." Louisa murmured as she sat watching the people file into the small bar. Each wore more latex than the last, all of them seeming to think that gothic was the way forward. It almost made her chuckle, thinking of these people in comparison to the only Vampire she'd ever known, that being Bill. If all Vampires dressed like that the world would be a far weirder place.

She'd left Merlotte's near enough as soon as her and Sam had stopped talking. At first she was going to tell Jason where she was going, but it seemed wise in the end to just tell him when the job was done. If he'd have known where she was heading he might have wanted to come with her, and that was a risk she wasn't willing to take. He was the kind of boy who succumbed easily to the kind of temptation hidden behind those walls. She was stronger than him in that respect. She'd go in, grab the box of Tru Blood, and then make her polite exit.

Really when she looked at it like that there was no need to be scared at all. It was going to be fine, and that was what she kept telling herself as she climbed out of her busted up old Ford and marched towards the front door. Clad in her work uniform, she stuck out like a sore thumb from the word go.

"And who might you be?" The sultry voice asked, coming from a woman who was working the door. She was mature but nevertheless beautiful, with long golden hair and doll like baby-blue eyes. The floor length leather dress she wore however somewhat detracted from her innocent features.

"I'm a waitress from Merlotte's," Lou began. "I'm here for the Tru Blood. My boss rang up to check it was okay that I come pick some up-?"

The woman let her eyes drag across Louisa's body, an act that made her feel more than uncomfortable, but once they landed back on her face again a small smile pulled at the womans lips and she nodded. "Well then, go right on in."

Louisa's senses were bombarded the moment she wandered inside. The dark lighting made the bodies blend into one mass of writhing leather on the dance floor, that along with the heavy rock that played in the background and the slight tinge of iron that hung in the air made her feel cold. The quicker she got out of there, the better.

"Hey!" Louisa shouted to attract the barmaids attention. She was a meek little thing, not half as pretty as the blonde on the door, and she wore too much make-up.

"I'm here for the Tru Blood!" She couldn't hear the response that came over the music, but from how she scurried off into the back somewhere Lou could only hope she'd gone to grab the drinks.

Turning back to rake her eyes over the bar once more, she could see the basic appeal of it all. This acted a place in which people could carry out their most animalistic desires and not be judged. Just because it wasn't her scene didn't mean she was going to condemn those who thrived here. With her eyes on the crowd and the thud of music in her ears, she found herself swaying just slightly to the rhythm of the club.

It wasn't until she sensed eyes lingering on her that she pulled her attention away from the bodies on the dance floor, looking up to meet the cold blue stare that would come to haunt her.

There he sat, upon a make-shift throne fit for a make-shift King, over seeing everything that happened beneath him, but he had eyes only for her. He was tall even when seated, visibly lean even through his shirt, and with hair even blonder than Sookie's. For reasons unknown, Lou felt compelled to keep his gaze, something which no doubt prompted him to stand and move towards her in a blur of colour, being less than a few steps away from the girl in under second. She always did hate it when they did that speed thing.

Staring up at him, this figure that towered over her, she was left speechless. With no clue as to what he wanted, she wasn't sure what would be the right thing to say.

"Who are you?" He asked, his voice low and only adding to his intimidating demeanour. She swallowed hard before righting herself, standing straight and sporting the very slightest of smiles.

"I'm a waitress, from Merlotte's in Bon Temps." She answered with a small nod.

"That isn't who you are, that's your job. If I wanted to know that I'd have asked." He said, taking steps forward and all but trapping her against the bar. Up until then Lou didn't mind his presence, but now she was beginning to feel gradually more uncomfortable. From his tone to his body language, everything about him read danger, and Lou just wanted to run.

When she failed to answer in less than a few seconds, he tilted his head to the side as though he was analysing her.

"You look familiar. Have we met?" He mumbled.

"Highly doubtful." She said a little too quickly, her voice carrying an edge of aggravation, or perhaps that was panic. At that point she couldn't define between the two.

"And why's that?" He leant forward further, a smirk twitching at his lips.

"Because I don't tend to associate myself with people who have very little consideration for personal space." As she spoke, Lou's hand came up to his chest as though to push him back, but of course he didn't move an inch. _Fucking Vampires_, she cursed internally, eyes narrowing as she did.

The act made him chuckle, his hand coming up to meet hers before he pulled her arm up a little too violently, bringing her wrist close to his lips as he did. Heart rate quickening and eyes going wide, Lou hoped someone might intervene, might stop him from doing whatever it was he was about to do, but before anyone might, he simply leant forward and breathed in her scent right from the pulse point.

"You're an odd little thing." He said with a smirk still in place, basking in the smell of her blood as he did. The first chance she had Lou ripped her hand back down, the other rubbing it as though he had actually taken a bite. However, it didn't escape her notice that if he had wanted to he could have kept her hand there, and sunk his teeth into her flesh. The fact that he had not didn't make her any more comfortable.

"And you're just an asshole." She hissed without thinking. That was one of Lou's major flaws, not taking a moment to contemplate the consequences before she ran her mouth off. From how his expression sobered automatically, she guessed it was an unwise response.

"Why might that be? Because I'm not afraid to touch you?" He asked, grabbing both her wrists this time, holding them tightly by her sides. "Because I test what little boundaries you humans abide by?"

"Get your fucking hands off me." Lou demanded through gritted teeth, trying desperately to squirm out of his touch but to no prevail. Every time she moved his grip tightened until she could eventually feel her pulse pressing against his hold. No one around them so much as batted an eyelid. Apparently this sort of behaviour was normal for the regulars of Fangtasia.

"You've got a bit of bite about you. I like that." He said in a tone that wasn't quite mocking, but not entirely serious either.

"Oh yeah? Well lets see how much you like it when my _bite_ rips your throat out." She said with an almost chuckle, one fuelled by adrenaline and fear. Lou was scared, terrified even. That much was obvious, but whenever a fight or flight situation presented itself to her, she always considered the latter to be the cowards way out.

"Just stop it." She eventually murmured as the aching in her hands became near unbearable. His expression remained cold and indifferent, but there was the slightest glimmer of something in his eyes as her pleading tone broke through. "_Please_."

And all at once, he let her go.

They stood there in silence, staring at each other with differing levels of emotion. There was Lou who seemed to be seething, her breaths laboured and body trembling, and then the blonde stranger who was entirely composed, not at all phased by what had just happened. It was only when the barmaid reappeared with Lou's order of Tru Blood that she dragged her eyes away, turning back to slam her money down on the bar and grab the box. Without so much as another word, she pushed her way past the bodies blocking her way and marched through the open door into the world outside. She certainly hadn't anticipated being followed.

"You never did tell me your name." The stranger said who was now walking by her side, the same smirk in place that had graced his lips when he spotted her across the room.

"And I don't intend to." Lou scoffed in reply, stopping as she finally reached her car. Upon going to pop the trunk a large, pale hand came down to keep it closed. _His_ hand. Realising he wasn't about to walk away, she finally looked up to meet his cold stare again.

"Your name." He said, not as a question but a demand. Stubborn as ever, Lou just raised her eyebrows.

"Yours first." She retorted, a response that made him outright grin. It pained her to admit it, but the sight of his smile sent a shiver down her spine that wasn't entirely unpleasant. Thankfully all she had to do was remind herself of how she felt back in the bar and any pleasant feelings regarding the man in front of her disappeared.

"Eric." He said with the same small smirk. "Eric Northman... And now you." Of course she recognised the name. It was idiotic of her to have not made the connection before, what with Sookie rambling on about him so often. Everything she had said was true of course. He was as detestable as she painted him to be.

"My name's Lou, now get your hand off my car." He did so straight away, something which surprised her. His level of compliance was about as bipolar as his temper. She popped the trunk this time, dropping the bottles inside before she walked over to the drivers side of the car.

"Lou's an odd name." He said, digging for more as he ran to lean against her door, thereby blocking her from getting inside. Now being a thousand percent done with the situation, she folded her arms over her chest and glared up at him.

"I thought I was an _odd little thing_? So my name fits, no?" She quipped with a narrowed glare. Eric Northman smiled brighter now, an emotion flashing through his eyes that looked a little like intrigue. "Besides, Lou's just a nickname. Short for Louisa." Eric didn't respond to that, instead taking a moment to debate what he might say next.

"If I asked you to come back here tomorrow, what would you say?"

"I'd tell you to go fuck yourself." Apparently, Lou was yet to learn her lesson in the art of not pissing the giant vampire off, though his reaction wasn't nearly as adverse as to that which she experienced inside. Instead he just chuckled.

"Then I'm not asking. I'm telling. You'll be here tomorrow after sundown." He ordered.

"And if I'm not?" Louisa demanded with an evident tone of outrage.

"Then I'll come to you, and trust me, you really don't want that." The hidden threat was there evident, but not through his tone. If anything Northman seemed perfectly amused, though the girl in front of him was anything but. She reached around him and grabbed the door handle, opening it and hitting him in the ass as she did. He took the hint needless to say, and slowly stepped away.

"I look forward to it." She grumbled with a sarcastic smile, all but throwing herself into the drivers seat in a bid to put at least a bit of space between them. With the car roaring to life, Eric leant forward with a small smile.

"Me too." He murmured. Lou kept his gaze for a moment longer, before putting her car into drive and abruptly speeding away from that god forsaken bar. Much to her dismay, he then caught her glancing back at him through her rear view mirror, so as a result she just pressed her foot to the floor.

She could think of nothing finer in that moment, than never seeing Eric Northman again.

* * *

And there's Chapter 1. Chapter 2 is to be uploaded soon! :)


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2, as promised._ Now the plot really does diverge from what it is in the show, so remember to go into it with an open mind.

I hope you like it!

* * *

It wasn't until the bruises had formed the following day that Lou became adamant she wasn't going back to Fangtasia. A part of her had played around with the idea simply to stop Northman from showing up on her door step, but when she noticed the faint purple marks tainting her skin she realised to return would be to sign her own death certificate. Even thinking of those cold, blue eyes made her feel like she was welcoming danger into her life.

Lou was frightened of Eric Northman. There was no denying it.

She'd not told anyone in Merlotte's about what had happened on her run for Tru Blood, instead remaining quiet for the rest of the night. Sam noticed the change in attitude and suggested she head on home a little earlier than usual, something she'd been grateful for. Jason on the other hand blabbered the entire way back to his place about his trip with Hoyt, perfectly oblivious to the fact that the girl under his arm wasn't listening to a word he said.

Their night had been spent under the covers making up for 'lost time'. As he slept by her side Lou found herself unable to join him in a peaceful slumber, instead just staring up at the ceiling and dwelling on the night behind her. It wasn't until morning that she gave up on sleep entirely and wandered into the bathroom, taking a seat on the edge of the bath and properly examining the damage done to her wrists.

"Lou? You in there?" Jason asked from the other side of the door once he'd noticed she wasn't there.

"Yeah, yeah I'll be out in a second." She called back, flushing the toilet as she did to make out as though that's why she'd been occupied. For now she pulled her sleeves further down to cover the bruises and walked out with a smile on her lips. His own kissed hers the moment she was close enough to pull into his arms.

Chuckling, Lou pulled back, hands on his chest as she looked up at him. "Someone's happy this morning."

"I'm always happy when you're here." He mumbled as his head rested in the crook of her neck, mouth kissing and nipping at her skin. When you're with a man for so long you learn their little tricks, so Lou had learnt this one better than most. He was trying to get her back into bed with him.

"Then you're about the get real sad, 'cause I've got to go to work." She laughed whilst pushing him back, watching as his puppy like features became all the more endearing with a little pout. "I said I'd help set up for Rene and Arlene's shin-dig tonight." After weaving her way around him, Lou walked over to the drawers where a few changes of clothes were always kept, including a spare work uniform for days such as these. As she began to change Jason threw himself back onto the bed with an overly dramatic sigh.

"Hey, I'll be right back here again tonight!" She laughed, throwing a shirt at him as she stepped into her shorts.

"But that's so _far_ away." He whined like a child, not even bothering to move the clothes off his face. Once fully dressed Lou rolled her eyes and skipped back over to him, straddling his waist with a chuckle and pulling the shirt back to look at him.

"I'm sure you'll manage a few hours without me." She mimicked his pout as she leaned forward just slightly. "Plus when y'get there, I'll be wearing that blue dress y'like so much. The one with the little straps and the pretty skirt..." It was one she saved for special occasions, like their first date for instance. It was so many years ago it was a wonder the thing still fit, but somehow it did, and each time she wore it Lou seemed to remind Jason that at heart they were still those kids from that night.

"Then I'll definitely be there." He said with a grin as though he'd had his reservations up until then, before he pulled her down for one last firm kiss. It lasted but a few moments before she pulled away, skipping over to the door before his voice stopped her from leaving.

"I love you, y'know that?" He asked in tone softer than any she'd heard in a long while. Lou turned back with a smile on her lips that felt as though it might never falter. She nodded in response, because if she wasn't so certain of that fact she wouldn't keep coming back to him.

"I'll see you tonight." She eventually said in goodbye, before all but having to drag herself away. Lou would come to realise in time that she should have said it to him whilst she still had the chance, but saying one last '_I love you_' to Jason Stackhouse would be the first on a very long list of things she should have done that day.

* * *

"You look beautiful." Sookie said certainly as the two girls stood in the bathroom of Merlotte's. Despite her constant insistence that Lou looked perfect, the small brunette kept batting away imaginary pieces of lint from her dress and trying to tuck more strands of hair into the loose bun at the nape of her neck.

"I feel weird." Lou replied in a mumble. "Like something's gonna go wrong." Perhaps it was just because things rarely went without a hitch in Bon Temps. Then again, it could also have something to do with the bruises around her wrists and the blue eyes that flashed through her mind everytime she caught sight of them.

Sookie received no explanation as to how the injuries got there, but she helped Lou cover them up with make up anyway. Call it repaying the favour for all the times Louisa had helped her cover up the latest bite marks Bill had left on her neck. Now the marks were nothing more than the faintest hints of purple, it was easy to forget about Eric Northman and the threat of him showing his face. Instead she could focus on having a good time for once.

"You look really nice though." Lou said with a small smile, deciding that if she _was_ to have a good time she needed to start acting a little more normal. It would just be her, her friends, and the boy she loved, spending a night together without a care in the world. What more could she possibly want?

With the compulsory compliments over with, the two girls went to rejoin the party that had already gotten into the swing of things. People were drinking, laughing, even throwing out a few moves on the dance floor, none more so than the lucky couple whom everyone had come to congratulate. Lou stood on the sidelines for the most part, nursing a glass of wine and talking briefly to the people she knew. More than anything she wanted Jason to show up already, just so she had something to focus on other than the sickening feeling that kept hitting her in waves.

"What's this I hear 'bout you hanging out at some Vampire bar?" The voice asked that interrupted her thoughts, but the accent was so strong she couldn't mistaken it for anyone other than Rene. Turning to meet his eyes with her own, she saw his expression was a mixture of curiosity and concern, with raised brows and a small smile. Being Jason's girl, she'd become acquainted with his friends quite well during their time together. These days Rene and Hoyt served as the big brothers she'd never had, or particularly wanted for that matter.

"I wasn't 'hanging out' for a start." Lou snorted, taking another sip of her wine as she did. "Who said I was?"

"I got a friend who goes there sometimes, not all together right in the head y'know? He said he saw you and that blonde guy who owns the place gettin' awful close." And suddenly the conversation felt like an inquisition. Lou scowled at his accusing tone, downing the rest of her drink as she did.

"I was there for Sam, picking up the Tru Blood ready for an inspection this morning... As for Eric Northman, he's an asshole. One I'd be quite happily never see again." Rene hesitated slightly before nodding, accepting her explanation no matter how vague it's nature.

"I told him you aren't one of those types anyway. Don't you worry, lil' girl." He chuckled, pushing some hair back off her face as he did. He was a good guy, Rene. Lou almost felt bad for thinking he was judging her now, seeing he was probably concerned. "Now if you don't mind, I gotta get back to my woman." He chuckled, turning to look at the dance floor and search for the red-head in question.

As she turned to follow his eyes Louisa caught sight of the boy she'd been waiting for, but instead of the relief that she'd been wanting to feel it was an overwhelming kind of pain that hit her. You see, he was not alone. No, Jason Stackhouse stood in the shadows of the party with Merlotte's latest waitress, Amy, pressed up against him. Their bodies kept swaying to the rhythm of their own music, with her mouth pressed to his ear and a smirk never leaving his lips. Later no doubt he would say they were just dancing, just chatting, and Lou might believe him, but for now she felt as though her heart had just dropped out of her ass.

Rene spotted them at the same time she did but his reassurances came too late, as Lou was already walking off, wanting to get as far away from them as she could. Needless to say he didn't follow.

Lou was already on the road when she started crying, silent tears that left tracks down her cheeks. There was no use in wiping them as there was no one there to see, so she let them flow as she began the long walk home. It had been stupid to think he'd changed, that the past month of happiness was how things were to be from now on. Love could make a man do many things, but changing his nature was not one of them. Now it was just a question as to whether or not love would be enough to make Louisa change hers.

These were the thoughts running through her head when the car stopped a little up the road from her. The sickening feeling low in her gut got near unbearable at the sight of it, and the urge to turn and run in the opposite direction was all she could think about. Instead she froze, stood at the side of the dusty road and staring at the car with the blacked out windows. Two men got out in a blur of colour and speed. It wasn't until both of them turned to look at her, fangs exposed and smiles pulling at their lips, that she realised they were in fact there for her.

"Oh fuck." She murmured as a cold kind of fear washed over her. In the time it took her to turn they were already by her side, one vamp wrapping a single arm around her to lift her straight off the ground.

"No! Get the fuck off me! _Help!"_ Louisa screamed as she kicked, punched and writhed against him, praying someone might hear her. The man holding her started cursing in a language she didn't understand, squeezing her too tightly as a result and throwing her mind back to the night before when another had used this kind of force against her. The only difference was that this time he didn't let go, and eventually the sound of Lou's shattering ribs rang through the air. She shrieked as the pain ripped through her body, making her efforts of escape near impossible. With tears flowing from the pain rather than the fear, she could hardly see as her body was thrown into the trunk of the car before the darkness engulfed her.

"Please, pl-please let me out!" She begged, one arm cradling her side as the other clawed at the soft velvet above her. There was no telling who these people were or what they wanted with her, but one thing was for certain, in that this visit was not a friendly one. Whatever they wanted her for would surely end in her wishing she'd never left the party alone.

Laid in the trunk of that car with nothing to focus on but her own sobs and the movements of the road beneath her, Lou decided to do something she hadn't even contemplated attempting since the day her Mother had died. The young girl brought her hands together and began to pray.

"I know w-we ain't exactly on talking t-t-terms," She began, speaking with small, ragged breaths as her sobs broke through. "But please, _please_ don't let me g-go like this. I'll be better. I promise, I'll start going to Church again, and I-I'll stop complaining about work so much, and I'll go see Dad more, and I just... Please don't let me die like today. Not like th-this. Not all alone."

On queue the trunk opened again and hands reached inside to drag her out, cutting her prayer short by a few moments. Sparing no concern for the broken bones in her chest, the two vampires threw her crumpled body onto the concrete floor beneath her, and whilst resisting the urge to scream Lou held herself tighter and tried to take in her surroundings. She was now in a junk yard, or something oddly familiar to one. People stood atop piles of cars that surrounded her, but most were in a circle formation, she being the centre of that.

"Mr Compton," A voice called, pulling Lou's attention to a rather meek little man sat upon his car seat, come throne. Next she registered the name, so she followed his gaze to the man in question. There he stood, Bill Compton, looking as though he'd just been staked through the heart. Were her attention not so focused on him she may have noticed Eric Northman stood to his left a little earlier.

"I don't believe you've ever been a maker, have you?" The man asked from his seat. Lou wasn't sure whether it was the adrenaline or the fear, but suddenly she couldn't feel the pain in her side. It almost made her think she had a chance of getting up and running, but she knew logically that escape was impossible at that point. There was no hope.

"No." Bill hissed as he worked out what Lou hadn't. "Not her. Magister, she's just a girl."

"Yes, she is... What's your name, girl?" The man from the throne asked curiously, who she assumed was the Magister. Such a title was ill fitting of someone quite so small and seemingly pathetic. Sitting upright, she wiped the tears from her face as she looked him in the eye, his being so dark they were hard to keep contact with.

"Louisa." She mumbled, her voice near breaking. "My name's Louisa." This earned a few chuckles from the surrounding vampires, some finding it perfectly hilarious how weak the little human was.

"Louisa. That's a pretty name." The Magister said with a small smile as he leant forward in his chair. "And tell me, Louisa... Do you want to die?" It was hard to speak for the lump in her throat, so Lou just shook her head as tears welled in her eyes again, her own arms holding herself tighter. For a moment she tried to kid herself that it was someone she loved pulling her into an embrace, but Lou's little day dreams couldn't help her now.

"You see, Mr Compton? The girl _wants_ to live! Now we both know she's seen too much to leave here alive so either you change her, or she becomes another body in a ditch somewhere." His words made the tears fall and the ache return to her heart, as for the first time that night it was confirmed without a doubt that Louisa was not leave this place alive.

The men around her argued some more, but she was too frightened to listen to them. Instead she let her eyes wander around the figures that surrounded them, until they eventually landed on one that was familiar to her.

Eric. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back and head held high, the blonde from the door of Fangtasia stood by his side, and though the smaller woman was talking to him he had eyes only for Louisa. Thinking back on the night before as her eyes studied the curves of his face, she realised she would take it all again in order to go home. She'd tolerate Eric Northman everyday for the rest of her existence if it meant she could just leave this place with her life. Only when Bill came to kneel in front of her was Lou's attention pulled away from him.

Silence had fallen. The decision was made. At first his hands came to her arms in a comforting manner, but when his grip tightened just enough to hold her still it became evident that he'd agreed to the terms of his punishment.

"No, no please!" Louisa begged as she tried to scramble away from him almost hysterically, failing to do so of course.

"It's the only way." He insisted, holding her tighter and pulling her close.

"I'm Sookie's best friend!" She shouted, hoping if pleading wouldn't stop him then sense would. "I'm her brother's girlfriend! She'll never forgive you if you do this to me, she won't, she'll _hate_ you!"

"She'll hate me more if I let you die." Bill whispered, fingers threading into her hair as he did to pull her head back and expose her neck. She writhed and screamed and tried with every ounce of energy she had to break free, but it was no use. He wasn't letting go. As a last ditch attempt her eyes turned to the man who still stood on the sidelines.

"Eric!" She screamed, he being the only other person she knew. "Stop him! Please, _please_ I'll do anything!" Much to her surprise, he took a small step forward, one that was promptly stopped by the woman at his side placing a hand in front of him. He looked like he might fight her guidance for a moment, but then with a small sigh took a step back again. With him her last slim hope was gone, and Bill's fangs were beginning to graze her neck.

_This is it_, she thought as she cried helplessly. _This is how I die. _

"I'm so sorry." Were the last words he uttered before his teeth sunk into her flesh, and her screams echoed through the night. She could feel Bill draining the life from within her, and how with every lap of his tongue she grew weaker. Eventually her cries faded and so did her will to keep fighting, for laying there in his arms Lou didn't even have the energy to resist his blood as he pushed his open wrist to her lips. All she could do was suck up the sweet liquid, and pray the darkness would engulf her before the reality of what was happening hit her.

Because everything was about to change.

* * *

_There's Chapter 2!_ The last time I uploaded this I got asked the same question a few times, that being "Does Lou replace Jessica?" And the answer to that is no. Their story lines from this point on are to be completely different, it's just that for the sake of this story Lou takes her place at the tribunal. But don't worry, our favourite red-head is sure to make an appearance at some point!

I hope you're enjoying this fanfic so far, and Chapter 3 will be uploaded soon!


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey guys!_ Chapter 3 is a littler shorter than the others, so I'll be uploading Chapter 4 today as well.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

She was suffocating.

With every breath she took her lungs filled further with the soil that surrounded her, and with no recollection as to how she found herself buried alive Lou could no nothing but lay there and scream for all she was worth.

A hand came down and found hers, dragging her up through the still loose earth. Even as she emerged and cool air washed over her skin the screams didn't stop, instead slowly devolving into sobs that racked her entire body. As her eyes were closed she couldn't see who it was that wrapped their arms around her, pulling her close into a tight embrace.

When her eyes did finally open, it was as though the world around her had been reborn.

She could see everything, every leaf on every tree, every plain of grass around them, even the specks of dust that floated through the air. It was all undeniably beautiful, but Louisa started panicking. With quickened breaths her hands came to clutch the arms of whoever it was holding her.

"What- what's happening? I don't understand how I-" She spat out in a rush, closing her eyes again only to realise sight wasn't the only sense heightened. Lou could hear the distance rev of a car engine even though she somehow knew they were nowhere close to a road. The scurrying sound of the animals around them was worse, as she heard every scratching set of claws running against the ground, the rustle of the trees as they moved through the branches, even the ragged breaths of a squirrel perched above them... Everything was so loud, like the world would never be quiet again.

"It's okay, Lou." An all too familiar voice said gently. "It's going to be fine." As she envisioned the man behind the words, she turned her head to look up and meet Bill Compton's gaze.

Then all at once, she remembered.

The broken ribs, the car trunk, the pleading, the junk yard... the blood. All of it came back to her in a flood, and Lou's reaction couldn't be anymore violent. Her hands flinched back as though his skin was poisonous to the touch, before scrambling to her feet and backing away from him. She didn't mean to move quite so quickly, as less than a second later her back was pressed against a tree at least ten meters away from him. Lou couldn't help but let out a small cry at her own actions, as she knew exactly why she could move at inhuman speed. All the signs were there that the transformation had been successful, but she couldn't admit to herself what had happened.

"No no no no no no..." She rambled on as her dirt covered hands ran into her hair, clutching at it and tugging as though to rip it out.

"Lou, please just-" Bill began as he move to come closer.

"Don't, please, _please don't_!" Louisa screamed in turn, more terrified of the man in front of her than she ever had been of another person before. Her feelings towards Eric Northman now paled in comparison to the man who had effectively ended her life. He put his hands up as though to show he meant no harm, but Lou still felt as though he was about to rip her throat out at any moment.

"You need to go feed now, okay?" He asked. "If you don't you'll get ill." She started shaking her head at his words, for there was one that stuck out above the rest. Feed. Not eat as any other human would, no, she must _feed_ off another's life force in order to survive, and the very idea of it made her feel sick to her stomach.

"No," She said defiantly as her hands dropped. "I can't... I won't." And with her last adamant statement she turned and took off into the woods, ignoring the aggravated groan of Bill from behind her. She knew where she needed to go, and her feet had no intention of stopping beneath her until she got there.

Bill was far older than her and no doubt faster, but for one reason or another he didn't catch up with her until they stood in the trees that surrounded Sookie Stackhouse's home. It was then, as Lou was about to step into sight, that his arm locked around her waist to pull her back and the other clamped over her mouth. Where it not for the fact that she was too intent on hearing what was happening within the house, she may have fought against him.

Outside were two cop cars, one of those being the Sheriff's. Though she couldn't see Bud Dearborne through the windows, Lou's eyes caught sight of Andy Bellefleur instead, he having no doubt taken the wrong car as usual on his way out of the station. It was the cop in question who was currently talking.

"We got all our best men on it. She'll probably have shown up before the end of the night!" He insisted before taking another sip of his home made lemonade.

"Bullshit!" An all too familiar voice shouted in response. Jason stood as he said it, meaning he moved into sight through the kitchen window. Lou's eyes caught hold of him and she finally began struggling against Bill's hold, as she wanted nothing more than the run into his arms and sooth his worries. "Lou ain't the kinda girl who just takes off without a word. I'm tellin' you Andy, something is wrong and you need to go out there and find her!" He shouted, but Bellefleur looked anything but convinced.

"Jason, they're doing everything they can-" Sookie tried to soothe, having been stood out of sight the entire time.

"No they ain't! If they were she'd be home by now!" Jason shouted back, past the point of accepting reassurances. "And y'know what, if they won't find her then I sure as fuck will." He hissed before grabbing something from the kitchen side. With that he turned and bee-lined for the front door, his baby sister in tow. Sookie grabbed his arm once they were on the porch, pulling the hot-headed boy back for a moment.

"Jason!" She shouted desperately, her hand clutching him like she was frightened to let go.

"It's my fault!" He replied rather randomly, making everyone, Lou included, pause for a moment. "She must've seen me with that girl, and she... It's my fault, Sookie! I hurt her like I always fucking do, and now she's taken off to god knows where and I can't just- I can't let her go! I need her to come back, okay? I gotta go get her because if something's happened I ain't even gonna forgive my-"

"I know." Sookie interrupted with tears in her eyes, pulling her brother tightly into her arms as she did. "I know." Lou felt her own tears fall, and with them her resolve crumbled. She all but welcomed Bill's hold on her, for it meant someone was there to keep her stood upright. Without him she'd have no doubt fallen to her knees by now, because she realised what would happen once the truth came out and they all knew what she had become.

Jason would blame himself.

Bill sensed somehow that Louisa no longer had it in her to fight him, so with strong arms he scooped her body up and held her close. He was relieved when her arms found their way around his neck, and she let herself be carried by him. Lou was too afraid to face those she loved just yet, so letting Compton take her away from here wasn't unbearable as she thought it might be. For now she was content with crying in his arms.

Life as she knew it was over, and that was a fact Lou could hardly contemplate.

* * *

It wasn't long before they were outside Fangtasia, Bill having used his speed to get them there quicker. Lou was too utterly exhausted to question why they were there, so as she was placed on her feet once again she just followed silently behind him.

"What are you doing here?" The familiar voice of Eric asked the second the two walked through the door.

"I need a word in your office." Bill replied in a less than friendly tone. Lou paid very little notice to the exchange, instead letting her stare fall to the floor as to avoid Northman's eyes as she knew they were trained on her.

"Fine," He grumbled after a few moments. "Through here." Eric began leading Bill towards his office, so of course she felt she should follow. Once the two took up seats inside, Lou closed the door softly behind them. For just a second she caught her reflection in the glass, but it was hard to see what had become of her through the dirt and bloody tear tracks. Too afraid to keep her own gaze she moved to stand against the wall, her hands coming up to her cheeks in order to wipe some of the dirt away.

"I cannot suitably care for Lou." Bill said simply. "I do not know how to teach her the skills she needs in order to survive."

"You were her age once, Bill. I'm sure you know the basics." Eric said with a small sigh, before his eyes fell on the girl they were talking about. She looked weaker now than she did as a mortal, something he found odd to say the least.

"Considering how all this came about, I also think it would be very unwise for Lou to remain in her home town." The younger vampire said with a kind of desperation, like he was trying to say something he knew he couldn't.

"He doesn't want me around because he knows Sookie won't forgive him." Lou said softly, speaking for the first time since she emerged from that ditch. Her eyes found Eric's and stayed locked on them, as it pained her to even acknowledge Bill's presence. "He knows if I go back with him I'll tell them this was against my will, and it'll interfere with his cosy little set up. I think he's hoping you'll take me instead so he won't have to deal with any of that." Eric let his eyes turn to Bill's as he waited for him to confirm this.

"Well... In a sense, yes." He said after a long moment, seeming almost ashamed of the fact. "After all she's been through, it seems cruel to make her endure my poor guidance as well." That angered Lou more than anything, how he was trying to make out as though this was for her own good. Everyone knew he was trying to save his own skin, so he could at least have the nerve to admit it all came down to that.

Eric remained quiet, deliberating his options as his eyes returned to the new born vampire in the room. He could send the both of them on their way and inform the Magister that Mr Compton didn't intend on serving his punishment to the fullest, a tempting idea considering he didn't like Bill at the best of times. Or he could accept that what he said was in fact true, and this girl would surely find herself dead before dawn if she were to remain with him.

"I'll take her." Eric said with a certain finality, standing as he did. "So you can leave now." He added as he glanced down at Bill. Lou didn't like this one bit. She felt like a dog, being passed from one owner to the next with no say herself as to where she would rather be. If she was to speak up and demand to be returned home, then she didn't doubt one or both of them would tell her to be quiet.

As Bill moved towards the door, Lou took hold of his arm a moment to hold him back, and as he looked up at her she managed to force a small, but defeated smile.

"Don't tell Sookie just yet, okay?" She asked with a small nod, though she was sure he wouldn't dare mention what had happened anyway. "I'll come by tomorrow night. Just make sure her and Jason are okay 'til I get there." He hesitated, glancing between Louisa and Eric as though the two men knew something she didn't, before he nodded once and made his exit.

The silence was unbearable once he was gone, for Lou could feel the eyes of Northman on her but she dare not meet them. If she did she might feel whatever it was still holding her up right break beneath her. It wasn't his gaze that made her fumble though, but his words.

"You can't go home." He said clearly. "It's too risky."

"Risky?" She repeated with evident disgust. "What, you think I'm going to _hurt_ one of them?" She demanded, looking up at him.

"I know you will." Eric all but scoffed, stepping towards her as he did. "You're a baby. You'd probably rip your own Mother's throat out if she got too close."

"Sure, I'll just raise the fucking dead to kill her all over again!" Her vicious tone didn't help the situation in the slightest, because the second the words left her lips Eric had her pinned between him and the wall behind her, his fangs bared as he looked down at her.

"Stop with the sarcasm." He warned, almost hissing as he did. "Whilst you're in my District and under my roof you'll do as I say, and I say that you don't go back home. Not now, not ever." A defiance rose in Lou at his words, as there was a part of her that just couldn't fall into his regime. In spite of everything that had happened, she was still her, and therefore as stubborn as ever. Pushing her hands against his chest, she was almost surprised when Eric moved back without a fight.

"Like hell I will!" She shouted, but it was evident as her voice broke that for tonight she had very little fight left in her. It was barely midnight and already the young girl was completely exhausted, unable to so much as make a run for the door. Could vampires even grow exhausted? She was sure they couldn't, so perhaps it was just emotional turmoil that had left her feeling weary. This seemed likely as the tears welled in her eyes again.

Eric took a step forward, though this time his demeanour wasn't overpowering or intimidating. Instead he bent his head slightly to look at her better, his eyes slightly softer now though his body wasn't.

"No more crying." He said firmly, going as though to wipe her tears away before Lou did it herself, at which point he just dropped his hand back to his side. "It's very unwise for one of our kind to show weakness, and I won't accept it. We're strong here. _You_ are strong... Understood?" She could have argued with him, because if there was one thing Louisa did not feel, it was strong.

Instead she nodded, too tired to argue further. If she challenged him on this it would be harder to make him see sense about letting her go home, so she decided to pick her fights wisely for the first time in her life. He didn't seem entirely convinced by her response, but Eric smiled slightly all the same and stood upright, looking down at her as Lou craned her neck to keep his gaze.

"Well then," He said in a tone that was close to happy. "Welcome home, Louisa."

And that was perhaps the most disheartening thing she'd heard all night.

* * *

_There's Chapter 3!_ Like I said, it's a little smaller than the others but I hope you enjoyed it all the same! :)


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4 as promised! _Time has passed since Chapter 3, but by the end of this instalment it should be pretty clear as to where we are in regards to the shows time line.

* * *

**~1 MONTH LATER ~**

"Lou, there are deliveries that need unpackin'." Ginger called from the bar.

The girl she was addressing remained seated in the furthest booth from the door, the same spot she'd been in all night, playing with a coin she'd found on the floor when she'd awoken that evening. This was how she usually spent her nights, analysing the wall across from where she sat and ignoring the world around her.

"Then unpack them. That's what they fucking pay you for." She said just loud enough for the ditzy bar maid to hear her. Lou's eyes diverted to meet hers for just a second, shooting her a cold glare that made it evident to the blonde not to test her tonight. In a hurry she ran off into the back, not waiting around for help.

"Now now," Eric's voice called as he wandered through the bar, a smile on his lips. "There's no need for that kind of aggression so early in the evening." Their eyes met and Lou was very nearly tempted to return his smile for a moment. It seemed bullying Ginger was the only thing that kept her sane in this place, and he knew it just as well as she did.

"Fuck you, Eric." She replied with a dead-pan expression, still twirling the coin between her fingers. He ran to sit by her side in his usual fashion which at first made Lou assume she'd angered him in some way, but he made no move to hurt or scare her. Instead he took hold of her chin to make her look at him.

The older vampire kept her gaze for a moment or two before muttering. "You need to eat."

"You need to stop doing that." She grumbled, batting his hand away as she did. They both knew she wasn't a fan of the touching, but she tolerated it most days. Today unfortunately was _not_ most days.

All the same, she stood and moved over to the bar, grabbing the first bottle of Tru Blood that was on the side.

Lou still despised the stuff, warm or cold, so she saw no point in warming the crap up before she had to ingest it. She pulled away the top, eyes on Eric the entire time, before she downed the bottle of synthetic blood. It made her stomach churn and skin feel cold, but considering the alternative food source she would rather endure this than be forced to do that.

"Was that so hard?" He asked as she discarded the bottle and took a seat on one of the bar stools.

"And again, fuck you." This time Lou did crack a smile, but it was so forced anyone would assume it was bordering on sarcastic.

Now in no mood to stick around and make small talk with Eric, she jumped down from her stool and headed into the bathrooms, slamming the door a little too loudly behind her. In truth she wasn't mad with Eric for once. It was more her entire existence that had left her constantly pissed off, a reminder of which caught her eye in the mirror.

Her reflection was foreign to her now. Lou didn't know who that girl was, but it certainly wasn't her. Her skin was rosy, not so white the light reflected as it hit her. Her eyes shone in the light, but these ones were tainted by the dark rings and red circles on her lashes, detracting from the fact that they looked more blue in the light than their natural dull shade of green. This person she saw was not her, and it never would be.

To say immortality had suited her ill would be an understatement. Whatever positives she gained from it she refused to use, and instead she tried to fight what she was. Her nights would be spent indoors, sitting either inside Eric's office or if she were lucky, the club itself was closed to customers so she could wander the bar without fear of being spotted by someone she knew. She refused to feed of humans or to even glamour one, choosing to ignore their existence entirely. In general, she just couldn't accept what she was. She was still clinging to her humanity.

Yet the truth of the matter still stood; Louisa was a cold, dead vampire, and she would be now until the end of her days.

Sometimes it was easy to forget, but today it had been near impossible. If she was still mortal, today would have been her twenty-third birthday. She would have been in the company of those she loved, and even thinking about them too much made her heart hurt. What she wouldn't give to see them all now, Lafayette, Sam, Sookie, even Tara... And especially Jason.

It wasn't until the red splatters formed on the sink beneath her that she realised she was crying.

"Fucking vampire tears..." Lou cursed, having always been particularly disgusted by the trails of blood that left tracks along her cheeks. She washed them off thoroughly, not wanting Eric to catch onto the fact that something was wrong before she walked back through. It was bad enough feeling weak, without him knowing she did.

Once suitably clean, she walked back into the bar and retook her seat in the booth, choosing to ignore the freakishly tall Viking sat by her side.

"You're not even going to notice my hair, are you?" He asked like some kind of self absorbed child vying for attention. Of course she'd noticed that it had been cropped short since the last time they'd spoke, and though she thought it suited him she'd not even thought to mention it. It seemed hardly worthy of conversation.

"You look _dashing_." She replied sarcastically, picking at her nails as she did despite them already being impeccably clean. "Shouldn't you be at home?" She asked, knowing the bar was closed for the night and never expecting a visit from him when it was.

"I had business to attend to." He answered with a shrug, his arm stretching around her seat as he did. She wasn't exactly curious as to what he meant by business, so the two sat in silence for a long while until it was Eric who finally broke it.

"I assume you're in a particularly awful mood because it's your birthday, yes?" He enquired with a raised brow. Lou looked up with confusion, certain she'd never shared her date of birth with him, but he simply shrugged before she had chance to ask. "It was on the news last night."

_Of course it was_, she thought with a scowl. Since her 'disappearance' a month before Louisa Murphey had been the face that graced televisions all across Louisiana, with pleas from her friends that she come home safe. If she could she would have been there in a heartbeat, but that wasn't possible. She almost laughed the time she saw Bill stood by Sookie's side during one of the interviews, but instead she started crying. Eric saw fit after that to stop her from watching the news.

"I'm in a bad mood everyday." She replied eventually as it was the truth.

"Yes, but today you look as though someone just ripped the head of your favourite teddy bear." Rolling her eyes at his analogy, Lou settled further into her seat, arms folding across her chest. Another silence followed.

"So," Eric began after a long while. "What would you like for your birthday?" Again Lou looked up with surprise etched across her features, having never thought in a million years Eric Northman would celebrate something as human as a birthday, but just as before he knew what she was about to ask before she had chance to. "And no, we don't normally do this sort of thing... However, it's obvious that you aren't settling in with your new life particularly well. I suppose this might help a little."

A hope flared low in her chest, and with a genuine smile she moved to sit on her knees as to face him better.

"Can I go home?" She asked quickly. He didn't answer straight away, so she took that as her queue to start rambling. "Not permanently. I know I can't, I know that you and Bill will get into trouble, but just to see them. Just to let them know that I'm not dead, and that I'm happy... Well, not _happy_ but that I'm okay. I'd go for an hour at the most, and I won't even mention you or Pam or Bill, I promise." Her voice was pleading as she rested her hands against his chest, leaning forward just slightly.

He was one of three people who she'd been allowed to talk to in the last month. Such small familiarities as the odd touch was no longer odd to them, though it was very, very rare. He leant in just slightly as she did, his eyes serious as he reached up to tuck a stray stand of hair behind her ear. When his fingers lingered just a little too long and he hesitated to answer, she already knew what he was going to say.

"I can't risk it." The second the words escaped him her hands dropped back to her lap and she leant back again. Lou had already stopped listening. She was still to be trapped here, even on her birthday, and the rest didn't matter. "All it takes is you saying one wrong thing and then-"

"Then you're asses will get reported to the Authority, you'll loose your pretty little title, and the Magister will have all our heads for causing a shit-storm. I get it, Eric." As she spoke she crawled out the small booth, having no desire to stay in his presence.

"Then why ask me for something that you know I can't give you? The _only_ thing I can't give you?!" He demanded. Now his temper trade mark temper was coming to light, something that happened almost every night when Lou rubbed him the wrong way.

"Because..." She murmured feebly.

"_Because?!_" He shouted, looking as though he might lunge towards her at any moment.

"Because everything is fucking awful, okay?!" Lou all but screamed as her control snapped, turning to look at him as she did with an anger in her eyes that he'd never seen before. "I never wanted this! I never asked for this! I'm not one of those little fang-bangers who wanders into this stupid fucking club every night in the hopes that someone might take pity on me and turn me into one of you! I was happy, Eric... And now I have nothing. I have no life, no future, and I'm trapped in here! I am _completely_ alone. I- I have no one. No friends, no family, and all I want is one glimpse of my old life to make this one just a little more bearable."

Her hands trembled as she spoke, and for the first time since they'd met all those weeks before, Lou had managed to leave Eric Northman speechless. He just sat there staring back at her, mouth slightly agape as he desperately tried to think of something. But what could he say? What could possibly make the situation any better?

The words that eventually followed were the only ones he assumed she wanted to here.

"The Stackhouse boy isn't in town anymore." He said gently, standing as he did. He caught her off guard with that one, as she hadn't expected him to even know about Jason. "He took off about two weeks ago. I don't know where he is now... He looked healthy when he left though." He moved to stand in front of Lou as he spoke, his voice still perfectly soft.

"Why are you telling me this?" She mumbled as she wiped at her eyes before the tears could fall.

"Because we both know the real reason why you want to go back to Bon Temps. It's because you miss him, and you're scared he doesn't miss you back." Eric replied. She was scared to look up into his eyes for what she might see in them, but his hand gently took hold of her chin and tilted her head up so it was impossible to not keep his gaze. "He does, Louisa. He misses you... He'd be mad not to."

If the gentle touches they exchanged were rare, then moments such as these were unheard of. The only other time Louisa could remember him being quite so gentle with her was the morning after she became one of them, when she walked into the sun in the vague hope that she might turn to dust and her pathetic existence would be over with. He'd dragged her back inside Fangtasia kicking and screaming, and whilst she cried and begged for death he'd held her in his arms and whispered soft utterances to sooth her. When she awoke that night he was gone, and they'd never talked of it since.

Following that day he'd been the same old Eric. Always mocking, always trying to get a rise out of her. It wasn't until now that he'd let her see that softness again.

It had been so long since someone had touched Louisa like this, that it was almost easy to loose herself in it. Ever so softly she leant into his touch as his thumb ran along the bone of her jaw, and a small smile cracked at her lips.

Then all at once it was as though she remembered who he was, who she was, and she pulled back. Her smile didn't falter though, even if it was sad at best.

"You had business to take care of, right?" She asked gently, zipping up her hooded jumper as she did and softly folding her arms over her chest. He coughed slightly before straightening himself, nodding as he did. Like that the moment was gone, and the walls that normally separated them were firmly back in place.

"Yes, I do." He said with a small nod before turning back towards his office.

"And Eric?" She called after him, prompting him to stop and turn back to look at her. Lou smiled softly before gesturing to her hair. "It suits your short." As this was perhaps the closest she had ever come to complimenting him, Eric couldn't help but smile back at her. It wasn't snide or mischievous as usual, but small and genuine.

Perhaps the walls weren't _entirely_ in place just yet.

Before either of them could say anything further, the front door to Fangtasia was thrown open by one Bill Compton as he ran inside with Sookie Stackhouse laid across his arms, her blood spilling across the floor in a cascade of red.

Of all the things to cut the moment short, Lou would never have expected that.

* * *

_There it is!_

I'm really excited about the next Chapter coming up which will no doubt be posted sometime tomorrow night. I hope you guys are enjoying this so far because I'm loving writing it. Let me know what you think? :)


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey guys!_ Thank you all so much for your reviews so far, they've been amazing.

Anyway, here's Chapter 5!

* * *

"What the fuck happened?!" Lou demanded as she saw her friend bleeding out before her. The gashes running up her back only got worse the closer you got, as she saw upon to Bill's side to try and assist in some way.

"Put her down on the table." Eric said instantly, never failing to jump straight into action. The vampires all went to flock around her but Louisa was held back by the firm hands of Northman. "She can't see you." He warned.

"You think I give a fuck about that right now?" Lou replied as she hit him away. This time as she moved closer he didn't stop her, obviously deciding there were bigger problems to be dealing with here.

"She's rejecting my blood. It's like it's suddenly poisonous to her." Bill said in a frantic hurry. The only time Lou could remember seeing him so distressed was just before he drained the very life from her veins, and it was a memory that forced her to look away. She focused on Sookie instead, or rather the bubbling skin on her back.

"I know someone who can help." Eric muttered, pulling out his mobile and moving to the other side of the room to make a phone call, in doing so leaving Lou alone with her Maker, not that he deserved such a title. No, he'd rather return to his pretty little life in Bon Temps than take credit for his handy work.

"She'll be here soon." Eric said upon rejoining them, cutting through the uncomfortable noise of Sookie's painful groans. Lou looked up to him, about to ask exactly who it was that he'd rang before he answered the question anyway. "She's a Doctor, one who deals in the supernatural. I've been using the little witch for years."

"To say you trust her, you don't sound too fond of her." Lou murmured, pushing a strand of Sookie's hair behind her ear as she did. She still found it odd, touching human skin. It was so warm compared to theirs, so welcoming. Louisa could easily see the allure of humans now she was in the presence of one, and for reasons she didn't understand Sookie smelled especially inviting.

As though sensing her thoughts Eric gently pulled Lou's hand away from the girls cheek, and kept it in inside his own instead of dropping it. She'd never really been one for holding friends, but there was a comfort in it, like she could almost pretend it was someone who cared keeping hold of her.

The Doctor was not long as promised, but as she entered it was a rather underwhelming sight. She was an elderly woman, easily older than Sookie and Lou put together, but standing half as tall as either of them.

"I'm guessing this is her." She grumbled, pushing the vampires out the way in order to get a better look at Sookie. She observed the wounds for a few moments before nodding. "Mhmm, tracking poison. Pretty common in some species. I need to get it out before she'll accept anyone's blood." Leaning forward as she spoke, the Doctor grabbed a pair of gloves from her bag and proceeded to drag them over her hands. Too scared to remain silent, Lou let go of Eric and moved to stand closer to where Sookie laid.

"Is it going to hurt her?" She asked with an edge of fear in her tone. The woman appraised her with a withering glare, as though she'd just asked the most idiotic question on earth.

"Like a mother fucker, so one of you might want to hold her down." Lou would have volunteered were it not for the fact that Bill had braced his hands around her arms before the Doc had even finished her words. Every vampire Lou came across was faster than her, stronger too. She was beginning to find it a little tedious.

Before the screaming started Eric's hands were already on her arms, ready to hold her back. It was a good job they were, as the second a screech escaped Sookie's lips Lou went as though to rip the elderly Doctor's head off.

"She's helping." Eric reminded as he pulled her back. It didn't stop her fighting to try and help. Upon realising she couldn't Louisa just settled for looking away, turning to face Eric instead and keeping her eyes locked on his chest. His hands fell as she did, accepting that she'd given up.

With time the screams ebbed away into nothing, and the Doctor finally took a step back. "The poison is gone." She announced as she removed her gloves. "She'll accept your blood now."

Lou turned at the exact moment she shouldn't have, for as she did the blonde's eyes flickered up for just a moment and met hers from across the room. They both froze, and for the first time that night Lou was thankful that Sookie was too weak to even stand. Instead she was forcibly coaxed by Bill into taking his blood. Once the liquid hit her lips she pulled her eyes away, but Lou felt no better.

"Sookie saw me." She whispered, looking back to the man stood behind her.

"Oh, you think so?" Eric all but growled with that same old sarcastic tone, having obviously hoped to avoid that. Unsure of how to make the situation better Lou just remained quiet, watching as Sookie drank from Bill long after her wounds were healed. Much to the relief of everyone in the room she passed out almost instantly after he pulled away.

The small Doctor didn't demand payment, or even spare the three of them a goodbye. She just exited the same way she entered, sighing as she did. Lou could only assume she was in debt to Eric Northman in the same way all his contacts seemed to be, but her lack of presence made the air quite a bit thicker.

The three vampires all stood in silence, none of them quite knowing what to say.

"Well, this is suitably awkward." Eric finally muttered, side stepping around Lou as he did. Trust him, she thought, to be quite so blunt about it. For a moment he looked as though he might just exit into his office and save himself the unpleasantness, but instead he took up a seat in the same booth as earlier.

"I assume you'll want to stay with Miss Stackhouse, but it'll be sunrise soon. I have a coffin in my office if you'd like to make use of it." He offered Bill, gesturing towards the door to his left. The far meeker looking male made it seem as though he might refuse, but upon his eyes finding Lou's again he seemed to think better of it.

"That would be... Agreeable." He said with a small nod of thanks. After sparing one last glance at the woman he loved he was gone in a blur of colour, disappearing into the office. With him gone Lou could release the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, and it didn't go unnoticed by Eric.

"Does he scare you?" He asked with no attempt to be quiet about it. Lou looked over at him with wide eyes, tempted to lie for a moment. Instead she nodded, knowing better than to do so. He seemed to know the little subtle changes in her expression now when she lied, so there was no sense in it.

"He's your Maker. Why would you ever be frightened of him?" He added with a bemused expression. Lou joined him in the small booth, sitting in a tight ball with her legs pulled to her chest and arms encompassing them.

"You don't understand." She eventually muttered, resting her chin on her knee. "He isn't my Maker, not like you're Pam's. Sure he made me into one of you but that's as far as it goes. That's where it ends... All he is, is the man that murdered me."

"You're speaking like he killed you." Eric chuckled, for some reason or another finding this amusing. There was a sadness in her eyes as she looked up at him, before the briefest of smiles pulled at her lips.

"But he did, Eric. Unless it's escaped your notice, I'm dead." Her words were so final that they made the man sat in front of her feel a little more than bewildered, and so he hardly hesitated before his hands where either side of her face, forcing the girl to keep his gaze. For some reason Lou felt as though if she were mortal, he'd be trying to glamour her at this moment.

"You are not dead, Louisa." He said firmly. "I've seen dead people. I've killed many myself, and trust me when I say you are very much alive. You're still moving, and breathing, and feeling just as I am. _We're_ alive... Do you understand?" He asked, needing her to acknowledge the obvious truth before he'd let it go. As much as she hated to admit it he did have a point, that though her life was no longer the same she was still there. Still pushing on.

"I understand." She murmured a little louder than a whisper, and at once Eric became visibly softer in front of her. It almost made her wonder why she hadn't been scared a few moments before. Perhaps the answer was simply that over the weeks they'd spent together, the fear had ebbed away, and Lou was no longer frightened of the man sat there.

"Why do you always call me Louisa?" She asked, that being the only question she could think to ask, though it had been one that she'd debated in the past.

"Louisa suits you." He said with a smile. "Louisa from Louisiana."

"It's a wonder my parents didn't just call me Bonnie Temps and cut out the middle man." She laughed in response as her smile grew. Eric's did in turn, and those walls they treasured so much slipped just a little.

"Smiling suits you too." He added as an after thought whilst remaining perfectly composed. Lou on the other hand wondered whether she'd be blushing right now were it possible. In her embarrassment she looked away as another small chuckle escaped her lips.

Within a second Eric had pulled her back again, fingers on her chin to delicately hold her face in place. He was closer now, his breath running across her skin. Lou's body went rigid as she felt it, her knees dropping to the floor as she continued tensing. Eric didn't seem to mind though, instead edging closer still.

"Do you hate me? Like you did that first night?" He asked in a tone she'd never heard before. It was tentative, almost vulnerable in it's nature. Lou didn't like to think of the night in question and the fear he had struck into her, because it made her question how she could even stand to be near him, let along let him touch her. However, it was undeniable that they'd been through a lot since that night, so to say that she still felt the same would be a lie. Thinking of this Lou went to answer the question honestly, but upon a certain face flashing through her mind she couldn't.

Why she had to think of Jason Stackhouse now, right in that moment, she really didn't know.

"Yes." She mumbled in time, nodding slightly as she did. "Nothing's changed." A look flashed across Eric's eyes that she truly despised, as it was not one of anger or hatred. Instead he looked almost sad, something she had never seen from him before. Lou would go as far to say that he wasn't capable of the emotion.

About to amend the situation, she couldn't for the body that arose from the corner of her eye. Glancing over with Eric's hand still gently touching her jaw, she met Sookie's gaze for the second time that night, and unfortunately the young blonde could think of nothing better to say than the words,

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

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_Well, there it is folks!_ I might be uploading Chapter 6 today as well if I get the time. I really hope you're liking where things are going, and if you feel like it you could let me know your thoughts on the fic so far in a review?

Any feedback is greatly appreciated! :)


	6. Chapter 6

_I found the time to proof read it, so here's Chapter 6! _I feel now's a good time to mention that I'm choosing not to include the whole Lafayette getting tortured plot from Season 2. It won't contribute to this fanfic in anyway and I love Lala too much to hurt him okay.

But I hope you like it :)

* * *

"Sookie, you just need to keep breathing, okay?" Lou insisted as she helped her friend sit back down again. From the moment the two had locked eyes, the blonde had proceeded to slowly freak out, pointing between the two vampires stood before her like her actions were saying words she couldn't form. Her breaths were so ragged and disjointed by this point that it was no wonder she couldn't speak.

"Humans." Eric muttered from somewhere behind them, utterly exasperated with the situation before it had even begun. Lou didn't pay his despair a seconds notice, as she was far too preoccupied with making sure Sookie didn't pass out.

"You're- How could this-... What did he-" She said in a rush, her hands grabbing the seat beneath her. "Eric said he didn't know! We came here and he said he had no idea where you were and-"

"It's okay, Sook." Lou soothed as her hands came to either side of the others face, her focus still on calming her above anything else. "If you're going to understand you need to let me explain, okay? Which means you just gotta breath for me and keep with us. That sound good?" Sookie could only reply with a small nod of her head, far too confused to form a functioning sentence.

For just a moment, the temptation was there to sign all their death certificates and tell the truth. That the Magister, a man of the law, had demanded that an innocent girl be murdered in front of his eyes, and that it was none other than the man Sookie loved who had destroyed her life. In doing that she would also be jeopardizing the life of someone else, the person who despite all his faults had cared for her when others would not. Glancing back at Eric as she thought of this, she realised she couldn't do anything to hurt him too, no matter how great the temptation was.

The least she owed him was a few white lies now so the Magister wouldn't have his head on a pike.

"I was attacked," She began as her eyes found Sookie's again. "I was walking home the night of Arlene and Rene's engagement party, and this vampire was just a little too hungry. I don't even remember what he looked like... But before I could die he fed me his blood, and the next thing I know I'm clawling my way out a shallow ditch. Christ knows why he decided to do it, but it means I'm alive I guess... Sort of." Lou couldn't help but chuckle at the last part, though nothing was remotely funny about the lies she was feeding to her friend.

"This makes no sense." Sookie whispered with a shake of her head. "You would have come home. I know you, and I know would have come home, because you love us too much to leave us thinking you were dead. You're better than that, which means someone was stopping you."

"It wouldn't have been safe." Eric said from behind them. The girls had almost forgotten he was there, but the brunette was glad for his interjection now. Sookie was right of course, in that were it down to Lou she'd have burst out of Compton's arms that balmy summer night and ran straight up to where she and Jason stood on the porch, but the choice was made for her that she couldn't return home. Eric knew that there was no way she could explain this without throwing him under the bus in the process, so decided to do it for her.

"Our impulses are very strong when we first make the change. Without a Maker to guide us it's very difficult to follow the right path. We found Louisa on the streets, close to attacking animals her thirst was that bad... The threat was there that she'd attack a human and kill them which is against the law, so Pam and I decided she'd be best here, with us."

"_Bullshit_." Sookie hissed, any hint of softness having escaped her as she stood and moved towards him. "There's no such thing as coincidences with you, so what the hell aren't you telling me, you sick fuckin-"

"Sookie!" Lou said loud enough to interrupt, moving to stand in front of Eric as to create a barrier between the two. "He's telling the truth. He helped me in a way. At the very least he showed me how to live, and without him the vampire Authority would probably have had my head by now. It just wasn't safe for me to be around you guys knowing what I am now."

There was a very slight truth in what she said, but not because she was going to hurt them in a physical sense. Sookie had nearly burst into tears once she realised exactly what her childhood friend had became. Christ only knows what everyone else's reaction would be. Lafayette, Arlene, Sam... And she could hardly think about Jason without her blood running cold. If she had returned home god only knows how it would have hurt them all to see her like this.

"So you can calm yourself, Miss Stackhouse." Eric said rather condescendingly, though as he did his hand gently took hold of Lou's and he pulled her back towards him. "It'll be sunrise in less than half an hour. You need to sleep."

"There's only one other coffin. You can take it, I'll be fine." Lou replied, silently scolding Bill for taking one before either of them could. It suddenly occurred to her that he'd not awoken when he felt Sookie's distress, but given the nature of the conversation they'd had it was no real surprise he'd not shown his face.

"Go." Eric insisted, holding the small of her back and pushing her towards the small door that lead to what had become Lou's living quarters, otherwise known as a kitted out store room. She hesitated once more, but open catching Eric's expression she nodded. He was in no mood for her arguing, and in truth she was rather exhausted.

"Come back tomorrow night, okay Sook?" Lou asked hopefully, suddenly terrified that this would be the last time she might see her. The knowledge that Eric couldn't glamour away the experience from Sookie's mind was somewhat reassuring though.

"I'll be right here when you get up. Promise." The blonde replied with a bright smile that didn't touch her eyes.

Lou allowed herself one more glance at the two of them before she exited through the small door, walking at human speed as to not alarm Sookie more than she already had. She couldn't quite work out why, but the second the door closed behind her Lou felt silent tears running along her cheeks. It wasn't until a few minutes later after she'd truly absorbed everything she was feeling that she realised what it was. The emotion was so foreign to her these days, Lou have almost forgotten what it felt like.

Relief.

Relief that she was no longer dead, for whilst ever Sookie went on so did the knowledge that Louisa Murphey still existed somewhere, and she would not be forgotten.

* * *

Sunset came quickly as it always did, and the moment Lou awoke the memories of the night before came flooding back to her. Bill, Sookie, all of it.

With a grin on her lips she went flying out of the small coffin and straight into the heart of Fangtasia, expecting the usual patrons to be milling around the ever thriving night club but the place was dead. And no, not in the sense you would expect from a vampire bar. Not a soul was around, not even Sookie who'd sworn she would be there still.

Heart sinking to her gut, Lou realised it had been terribly optimistic of her to think she would actually keep to her word.

"You're awake." Eric said with a smile as he walked through from his office. As his ears were blood free, Lou could only assume he'd managed to rest somewhere else before the bleeds kicked in.

"Where's Sookie?" She asked, though she was under no impression that her friend was still there. Bill had no doubt persuaded her that leaving Lou locked inside Fangtasia was in everyone's best interest, and the two had taken off without a second thought.

"Somewhere over Texas right now, I assume." Eric replied quite calmly. Confusion evident in her eyes, Lou glanced over at him and only now noticed the carry bag he was holding. As always he knew what she was about to ask before she had chance to, and so he answered her unspoken question. "Miss Stackhouse has agreed to help us with a situation in Dallas. The Sheriff Area 9 has gone missing and it's our duty to find him again. Sookie's particular abilities will prove helpful, so she agreed to come with us."

Nodding very slightly, Lou allowed herself to feel just the slightest bit hopeful. Sookie hadn't forgotten about her after all, just pushed her aside for the matter of a business trip. Somehow when she worded it like that it didn't sound reassuring in the slightest, but it was a small blessing all the same.

"Our flight is in an hour, so you might want to get changed." He added.

_That_ Lou wasn't okay board with.

"I'm not going to Dallas." She snorted, walking over to take the travel bag off him as she did. "I've never even been on a plane before."

"There's a first time for everything." He said quickly, taking the bag back off her and placing it on the table. After rummaging through her clothes that he'd packed whilst she was sleeping no doubt, he threw a summer dress in her direction, a dark green one that made her eyes look the same colour. There was a time when Eric had tried to make her take up the usual Fangtasia attire, but upon refusing point blank to be found wearing latex and leather he'd been forced to buy Lou a new wardrobe. She'd smiled when she found this dress amongst the pile, as it made her feel a little bit more human again whenever she wore it.

"Change into that and then we'll set off." He said nodding towards the bathrooms.

"What part of _'I'm not going'_ is too much for you to comprehend?" Lou demanded, placing the dress next to the bag. "I'll stay here with Pam and watch the club. It'll be fine."

"You really think I'm idiotic enough to leave you two alone?" He chuckled, buttoning up the front of his suit jacket. When he noticed Lou nodding he carried on talking. "And no, Pam won't come with me instead of you because I don't trust you here alone. I think we both know the first chance you get you'll go running back to Bon Temps, and we really don't need that."

Suddenly Lou understood perfectly.

He needed to take her with him to keep her on a short leash, make sure she didn't do anything stupid like try and run away to her old life, and because of this she was abruptly reminded of why half the time she could hardly stand to be in his presence.

Snatching her dress up, she marched into the bathrooms and changed within an instant, emerging again with the same venomous glare aimed in Eric's direction. That look of sheer frustration was all it took for him to realise that she was going to go with him, but only because she had no other choice. If Lou continued to refuse she didn't doubt that he'd carry her onto that plane kicking and screaming.

However, she could refuse to speak a word to him as the two ran to his airplane bunker. She didn't ask the questions that were praying on her mind, like whether or not they should have waited for Pam to arrive at Fangtasia before they left, or if Sookie was actually going to Dallas because it seemed likely that was just another lie. There'd be time for answers later she told herself, and perhaps by then she would feel a little less like ripping Eric's throat out.

Thinking that he could cause her to feel so irate only angered Lou further, so it was easier to simply ignore his existence.

She kept her questions at bay even after they boarded the private jet. Eric owning his own planes really shouldn't serve as a surprise to her, but Lou was still left in awe everytime she realised just how rich he was. She wandered briefly how long someone must be around to get as wealthy as him, but with other more pressing matters preying on her mind she didn't dwell on it long.

The two sat opposite each other on the small jet, with Eric's long legs pressing against her knees, something that earned him another pointed glare. Were it not for the fact that she was sure he was only sitting there to aggravate her further she would have moved to one of the other seats, but Lou wasn't prepared to give him the satisfaction by doing so.

They were in the air when she finally spoke up.

"You can't keep me locked up anymore." She said quietly, eyes gazing out the window to her right as she did. "Not now Sookie knows where I am. You can't drag me around the world with you because you're scared I'll run off. You have to let me go." Lou allowed her eyes to look up to his, but as she did a part of her wished she'd kept staring out at the view below. The usual ice cold glare of Eric Northman had melted away. The blue of his eyes looked soft, and instead of sending shivers across Louisa's body she felt a small warmth stir in her gut.

The smallest of smiles pulled at his lips, but when it didn't touch his eyes the expression carried a certain sadness.

"We'll discuss this once our business in Dallas is over... I promise." He said with a single nod. The fact that he was avoiding the subject didn't exactly fill her with hope, but Lou felt she had to respect that he didn't want to talk about it if she was going to have an actual conversation with him in regards to going home.

A silence passed between the two before she finally thought of something new to talk about.

"Who's this vampire that's gone missing?" She asked, leaning into the back of her chair. Eric dragged a hand over his face, sighing softly as he did.

"His name is Godric," He began, eyes drifting to the window "He's a very old, very important vampire. We suspect he's been taken by a religious extremist group called The Fellowship of the Sun." There was a heaviness to his voice as he spoke, and Lou couldn't help but think Eric was more invested in this than he would have her think. "We guess there's a mole in his nest who helped them. That's where Miss Stackhouse's ability will come in handy."

"And when you say ability you mean that thing she does?" Lou asked gently, tapping to her temple as she did in indication. She'd been Sookie's friend since they were infants, so of course she knew about the whole mind-reading thing that only ever served as an inconvenience. It was how Sookie found out that Lou had a crush on Jason when they were kids.

"If you mean her telepathy, then yes, we need her for '_that thing she does_'." Eric said with evident amusement, the kind that served to embarrass her.

"Well we don't exactly call it that. It makes her uncomfortable when you put labels on it." She replied quickly, folding her arms over her chest as she did like a sulking child. The two sat in silence for a long while after that, until it was Lou who eventually broke the quiet.

"Can I help when we get there?" She asked in an almost gentle tone, eyes locked on the window as Eric's were. His moved away to glance over her, the question taking him by surprise.

"Do you _want_ to help?" He said curiously, doubting she'd want anything to do with the affairs that would follow in Dallas considering she'd been dragged there against her will. Lou shrugged some, not bothering to buckle in as she felt the subtle change in altitude as they descended.

"You said this guy's important, right? And the quicker we get home the better, so just let me know and I'll do whatever you need me to." Lou wasn't sure if she could be any help at all, considering she was neither old enough to be of any use as a vampire or a mortal who could easily do their work in the day, but the offer brought a smile to Eric's lips all the same, and so left Lou feeling a little less worried about the whole thing.

"I will." He said with his eyes still lingering on the girl in front of him. Louisa looked over to Eric with a small smile that mirrored his, and for the first time she would admit that she was content in his company.

Almost happy.

* * *

_And there was Chapter 6!_ I know a lot of you were looking forward to seeing Sookie's reaction to the truth, but trust me when I say that all will be revealed soon enough.

But as always, I hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know what you think? :3


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey guys!_ I've been loving reading your reviews, so thank you all for your kind words. Anyway, here's Chapter 7.

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The Hotel Carmilla was lavish to say the least. It carried off a very modern interior without the necessary leather and studs look that most vampires spots tended to sport, Fangtasia being one of them.

The second Lou and Eric arrived in the reception a bus boy came and collected their bags, taking them straight up to their reserved rooms with a generous tip from Eric to make him be quick about it. Lou went to follow him over to the desk to check in, but he stopped her with a gentle hand on the shoulder.

"You need to feed. Go to the bar and get yourself a Tru Blood, tell them to put it on Eric Northman's bill." He instructed, eyes on the vampires that surrounded them instead of her. Lou couldn't deny that she was a bit daunted by them all herself, having never been in a building with so many other immortals before. It made her hesitant to leave Eric's side, something he seemed to sense. His hand moved along her arm and took hold of her hand, fingers threading through hers before he began pulling her along by his side.

"Second thoughts, we'll order room service." He mumbled, shooting a vampire in their way a hard glare when his gaze lingered on Lou for just a little too long.

Whilst he checked them in Louisa kept her hand locked inside his, though that didn't stop the busty receptionist from dragging her eyes up and down Eric's rather impressive physique. Much to her amusement he hardly noticed and refused to leave a tip for her somewhat mediocre service.

"I thought she was about to jump over the desk and mount you." Lou laughed as they walked towards the elevator, finally pulling her hand back as she felt herself adjusting to the new surroundings. Eric chuckled himself, folding his own across his chest as the two waited for the doors to ping open.

"Desperate was never really my type." He said glancing back at the red head who's eyes were still on him. "And I prefer brunettes anyway."

His words shouldn't have made her smile the way they did, or her stomach flutter in that all too familiar way, but as he looked down at her with that smile she'd grown accustom too Lou felt it unfair to deny herself such a brief moment of happiness, even if it was over something so stupid.

They were on the floor beneath the penthouse, as that suit was occupied by the rest of Godric's nest whilst they were conducting their search for the Sheriff, something Eric explained with the hint of bitterness in his tone. Lou almost found it amusing to see this side of him again, the side that sulked slightly whenever he couldn't get exactly what he wanted. For someone his age he sure as hell did an amazing impression of of a ten year old.

"Which room is mine?" She asked looking around at the doors on the hallway.

"We're sharing a suit." Eric replied, leading the way to the end of the hall. "You'll have your own room inside. It's just that this way-"

"This way it's easier for you to keep an eye on me." She interrupted, not wanting to listen as he spun some bullshit about it being safer for her. They both knew his reasons behind keeping her close and trying to ignore them wasn't benefiting either of them.

After using a little key card to let them inside, Eric wandered through without even taking a moment to look around their grand suit. Lou on the other hand was left a little bit speechless. Everything was so beautiful and pristine, like the room had been built on demand just for their use. The furniture was adorned in silks and velvets like she'd never seen before, and that was just the living area. God only knows what her bedroom would be like.

Eric glanced over his shoulder to catch her admiring the place, something that for one reason or another made him smile.

"It's just a hotel suit, Louisa." He chuckled, shrugging out of his jacket as he did.

"I spent half my life living in a trailer. I'm easily impressed, okay?" Lou replied with her own smile, before she all but threw herself onto the sofa with a loud giggle.

"Then maybe I should bring you to more places like this." He said gently, but something told Lou that he was talking more to himself than her, so she ignored him and continued looking around the place. Eric went about ordering Tru Blood up to the room, but when only one bottle arrived she dare not ask how he intended on feeding. It was something she'd rather not think about.

After she'd finished her bottle of synthetic horse crap Lou excused herself to get changed, though she was sure Eric heard the small squeal that escaped her when she walked through to her room. It was just so lavish, like something straight out of the movies. In a fit of giddiness she hurtled herself straight onto the bed, the scent of freshly washed sheets hitting her senses and reminding her of home.

Once Lou was done rolling around in the covers like some sort of animal, she changed into a pair of shorts and an old baseball top, one she'd forced Eric to buy her after much debate. Apparently he wasn't a fan of the Yankees. Her hair was still loosely wavy from the plait she'd been wearing it in, so after combing her fingers through the stray knots that had formed she walked back into the living area to see Eric sat with his arms out wide on the sofa.

He looked completely at peace with the world, something that was no doubt related to the speck of blood tainting his white collar. Were it not for that give away Lou wouldn't have realised that he'd managed to feed in the time she'd been gone. Sitting beside him, she tugged his shirt in an almost playful fashion with a smile on her lips.

"You got blood on you." She said, but he shrugged slightly in response.

"I'll change before we leave for the meeting. I doubt it'll matter much anyway, considering all eyes are going to be on Miss Stackhouse and your Maker." Lou couldn't help but recoil in evident disgust at the term.

"Please don't call him that." She muttered, pulling down her sleeves as she did.

"Just because you don't like him doesn't mean he's going to stop being the one who granted you a new life, no matter how hard you wish it." He almost chuckled, his arm stretching around the back of her seat as the two took up their usual position, Lou pulled into a tight ball and Eric with his abnormally long body stretched out around her

"I wish you were my Maker." She whispered a minute later, quiet enough that maybe he hadn't heard.

In truth Lou didn't think about what her words really meant. If she had she may have taken into account the bond between a Maker and their Progeny, but she knew very little about all that. All she found important was the fact that he was the only vampire who'd ever shown her kindness, given her a home when she didn't have anywhere else to go, and above all else taught her how to survive this life they lead. Yes, he had his flaws, but there was no denying the fact that Eric Northman had helped her in ways Bill never had.

After a moments hesitation, Eric spoke without looking at her, his eyes instead transfixed on the wall across from them as Lou's were.

"As do I." He responded, speaking as quietly as she had. There was a silence that followed, one Lou wanted to fill with words she didn't know how to say, so instead she remained quiet. Eventually Eric stood and moved towards his bedroom. "We need to go meet the nest members. You better think about getting ready."

Lou chose not to tell him that she had no intention of changing, and instead just shot him the smallest of smiles whilst she wondered whether he truly did wish he was her Maker.

She hoped rather selfishly that he did.

* * *

"I say we go in there and rip the heart out of every fucker who stands in our way." One vampire said from the corner of the room, tipping his cowboy hat back as he did as to better look at Eric. The meeting had only been going for a few minutes, and already Lou was exasperated with these people. It didn't take her long to understand why Eric tried not to associate with them.

The only positive of being forced into this thing was seeing Sookie, for it confirmed that the blonde had actually come to Texas. There was a part of her that up until that point still thought it was bullshit, but Lou was rather relieved to be proven wrong. When she went as though to go say hello, Eric's guiding hands moved her to the other side of the room where she was seated in a large arm chair.

Every vampire present gave Lou an odd look as she walked by them, particularly the males. The one in the cowboy hat made a point of taking a long sniff in her direction, like she was bringing a bad scent into the room.

If she cared more, it might have made her self concious.

"Yes, and whilst we're at it we can adorn ourselves in silver and go for a walk in a sunny meadow." The female vampire spoke from the corner, her words all the more sarcastic for her heavy spanish accent "If we're signing our own death certificates we might as well go out with a bang, no?"

"And here I was thinking a little maturity might have numbed your flare for the dramatics, Isobel." Eric muttered, having not stopped pacing behind Lou's chair since he'd sat her down.

"Dramatic? You realise they took down _Godric,_ don't you? If they're capable of capturing a two thousand year old vampire the rest of us are fucked too." The newly named Isobel replied, and were it not for the fact that she was too astounded to do so, Lou may have agreed with her.

"Two _thousand _years?" She repeated, the first words she'd spoken since she got there. Looking over her shoulder to gage his reaction, Eric just shot her a glare that told her to be quiet again. As she noticed all eyes had turned to her Lou thought that might be a good idea too.

"You don't even know for definite whether the Fellowship have Godric, so perhaps we should start by actually confirming that." Eric said, running a hand through his hair. From the corner Sookie seemed to think this was her time to shine and took it without hesitation.

"Well I can do that!" She insisted with a bright smile, one that seemed ill fitting considering the severity of the situation. "I can go in during the day, do my thing and get a bit of information, and I'll be back here again before sunset. At least then you'll know exactly what you're walking into."

The vampires surrounding fell silent. All but one.

"No, no that's just too dangerous." Bill protested, his hands holding onto both of Sookie's like at any moment she might drift away. Up until that point Lou had been doing an okay job at ignoring him.

"What is she here for if not to help?" Isobel asked, proving herself once again to not be shy when it came to sharing her opinions.

"I want to help, honestly. I don't mind if it's dangerous." Sookie said, pulling her hands back from Bill's as she did. "I'll go."

"You realise you could die? These people are not afraid to kill you just because you're a human." Bill said, his every word focused on talking her out of the only solid plan they had. It was ridiculous, Lou thought, that he had to protect her so entirely. Sookie was a big girl, one who'd done a pretty decent job of looking after herself up until his arrival. Were it not for him wandering into her life she wouldn't even be in Dallas right now.

"And she acknowledged that when she agreed to come here." Eric hissed, his temper beginning to fizzle over. Lou couldn't quite work out why he was so invested in getting Godric back, but she knew she didn't like it. Whatever his reasoning it was making him too emotional, like any moment he might snap and just give up.

And as a result, it made her want to help.

"I could go." Lou said quietly, watching as the eyes turned to her once more. "I can take Sookie at night time. I mean, I'm a baby. I've barely been like this for a month. Put a bit of make up on me and they'll not suspect a thing. It's got to be safer than sending Sook in on her own, right?" An uncomfortable silence fell, but eventually Bill was the one who spoke up.

"That seems wise." He said with a small nod and a air of relief.

"You can leave at sunset," Isobel agreed. "So long as you're careful it should work. Just let Sookie do all the talking, yes? You'll be there simply encase the worse happens and she needs to get out fast." Lou was almost tempted to tell her she wasn't a complete idiot and could have worked that out by herself, but instead she nodded.

Just when she thought they'd all come to a happy agreement, the sound of Eric's feet shuffling stopped behind her, and his hands came down on the back of her chair.

"Louisa isn't going into the Fellowship." He said simply. "You must have plenty of young vampires in your nest. Send one of them to play body guard."

"Well ain't this rich?!" The cowboy laughed from the corner, he and Eric seeming to have a particular disliking for each other. "You'll send in the little blonde pet but not your own? Sounds a lil' like double standards to me." Everyone in the room tensed as they awaited Eric's reaction, but it was the brunette they were so openly talking about that bit back.

"I am no one's pet." Lou growled, standing with her fangs bared as though to further prove her point. "I am as much a vampire as anyone else in this room, and I belong to no one." Her reaction though strong seemed to get the message across, as he said no words in dispute. "And I will be taking Sookie to the Church tomorrow night to keep her safe." She added the last part for Northman's benefit, whom her eyes drifted to only to find he was looking out the window, ignoring her completely.

Retracting her fangs, Lou lingered around for the rest of the meeting just as they were making the last arrangements before Eric found her, his hand taking hold of her upper arm before he began dragging her along.

"Will you get the fuck off me?" She asked, already pissed at him for embarrassing her so thoroughly in front of everybody. Much to her surprise he did let go once they were back on their floor, but only to lean forward and catch her eye before pointing towards their room.

"Go in there and wait for me." Eric ordered with a raised brow, as though he was daring her to test him. Doing so seemed a little idiotic, so she just turned and stormed off down the hallway into their suit. She'd barely had time to kick her shoes off before he came marching back in with Bill Compton in tow.

"The hell is he doing here?" Lou almost shouted, gesturing towards her Maker whilst addressing Eric, who was doing quite a good job of ignoring her. After slamming the door shut behind them he turned to Bill instead.

"As Louisa's Maker, forbid her from going to the Fellowship of the Sun. I'm ordering you to do this as your Sheriff." He commanded, his voice low and near deadly.

"_Really?_ Really, this is what you're resorting to right now?" Lou laughed, the chuckles no doubt a result of shock, as she couldn't believe he'd actually ran off to collect Bill in order to stop her from going to the Fellowship. "Are you fucking kidding me, Eric?" He put his hand up to silence her, whilst he addressed the far smaller vampire once more.

"Do it." He said firmly, eyes wide as he awaited for Bill to say the words. The smaller vampire stammered, his eyes flickering between the two in front of him.

"Yeah Bill, do it if you want Sookie to get killed by some psychotic bible basher tomorrow." Louisa encouraged with a sarcastic tone and smile to match.

"Oh don't worry, Sookie won't be much of his concern once she knows that he was the one who turned her favourite little friend into a vampire." Eric retorted, the two of them throwing subtle threats back and forth like they were about to descend into a verbal slanging match. Bill however seemed torn. Whoever he chose to listen to it seemed he lost Sookie, so what was a man to do?

"We all know I should go!" Lou eventually shouted, pleading with the both of them. "I'm stronger than you give me credit for, and faster too. I could have her out of there the first sign of trouble, plus we might get some information that might actually help you rather than leaving you to rely on a bunch of idiots to find out what the hell's happened. Christ Eric, I thought you wanted to get this Godric guy back? Or is all your worry just another load of bullshit?"

That was the moment Lou crossed the line, and she knew it instantly. She could see it in his expression, how his brow dropped and his lips pulled into a tight line like he was trying to stop himself from sinking his teeth into the first body he could grab.

"Bill, get out." Eric said though his eyes were still on Lou. She could feel herself growing frightened of what was about to happen, but she somehow managed not to show it. Instead she kept his stare. "_Now!_" He shouted when his words were met with no actions. Bill wasted no time after that in making his exit, not sparing a second thought for his Progeny that he was leaving behind in the hands of a vampire who looked murderous.

The silence drew out after he left, only making her nerves worse. In the blink of an eye Eric was stood toe to toe with Lou, bearing down on her with that steely glare that made her blood feel cold.

"Never doubt my loyalty to Godric again." He said in a low voice. "You can't even begin to understand the lengths I would go to in order to bring him home."

"If that's how it is, then why the fuck are you doing everything in your power to stop me helping? If you care so much about him, why put me first?" Lou asked, her own tone laced with confusion. With every word he said he was contradicting himself, but then again that always seemed to be the case with Eric. He paused at her question, but from how he only tensed further Lou guessed she'd done nothing to help his already testing temper.

"Don't misunderstand Louisa, I am not putting you first. Your existence means _nothing_ to me. You're a speck on the grand scheme of my life, one I probably won't even remember in a few years time. I'm your Sheriff, so it's my job to act like I care as to whether you live or die... But by all means, go ahead and run off to the Church with Sookie. Do me a favour and get yourself killed while you're at it, so I don't have to deal with your self righteous shit any more."

Silence followed, and in the silence came a crippling kind of pain, one Lou didn't think he was capable of inflicting on her.

She felt it low in her chest, an aching that ripped through her. For a moment there she'd rather idiotically believed he cared about her. Maybe she'd just been reading the signs wrong, yet the concept that Eric Northman in fact couldn't give a damn about her seemed almost impossible.

How could he not care, when she did so entirely?

Determined to not let him see the pain across her features, Lou turned and walked towards her bedroom, though she faltered as she reached the door. The urge was there to turn back and address the things he'd said, to shout and scream and demand that he tell her he feels for her in some way, though deep down it was clear that he didn't.

He was Eric Northman, and he didn't care about anybody.

When Lou felt the tears beginning to fall she headed into her room before he could see them. With a slam of her door she sunk down to the floor with her back against the wood, her eyes closing as she felt the warm track of blood filled tears running down her cheeks.

Lou hadn't realised that Eric had the power to hurt her quite so terribly. She hadn't realised she'd allowed herself to grow close to him until that moment, for if she had kept those walls in place that she thought had been protecting her the entire time, she wouldn't have been reduced to a crumbling wreck. The worst part of it all was that only one other person had hurt her like this before, and somehow Eric had managed to win the same kind of power over her.

Never in a million years did she think her feelings for him would be on par with that which she felt for Jason. Surly the love she held for that boy couldn't even be compared to whatever emotions she held towards Eric, and yet they were the only two men Lou had cared for enough to cry for. It was just a coincidence, she told herself.

But as Sookie had pointed out less than a day before, there was no such thing as coincidences when Eric Northman was involved.

* * *

_Shit is getting all kinds of real between these two. _Next chapter we're heading off to the Fellowship, which means only one thing. **Godric.** And I am so feckin' excited!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this update! The only thing I can promise you is that our dysfunctional duo are in store for a few epiphanies in the near future, especially a certain little OC who's stubborn as hell. Maybe let me know what you thought of it if you get the chance? Thank you! :)


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey guys!_ Originally Chapter 8 was far longer than this, but when we were treading towards 10,000+ words I kinda had to cut it into two chapters. For that reason I'll hopefully be uploading Chapter 9 later tonight.

As always, I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

"I look ridiculous." Lou grumbled as she pulled at the delicate material of the dress she'd been forced into. It was a floral affair, with lace detail and pearly buttons that ran up the back. Dresses were a rarity in Lou's life anyway, let alone ones that looked like they'd been designed for a Stepford wife.

"You look lovely." Sookie insisted from her side, who'd taken to the virtuous look quite nicely unlike her friend.

It wasn't long since the two had finished with Lou's, hiding her little give aways under a mask of beauty products. It was odd seeing herself without the red rings on her lashes or the parlour complexion. She undeniably felt a little more human looking like this, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

Humans were weak. She knew this to be a fact.

Lou needed to be strong.

With a small smile she returned the compliment before the two girls headed down to the basement where the vampires kept their vehicles, and not to Lou's surprise the others were already there waiting for them. Isobel, Bill, the cowboy who she'd since learnt was called Stan, and even Eric.

Lou stood to the side whilst Sookie said her goodbyes to Bill, feeling slightly awkward about being able to hear everything they said. Half of it made her want to vomit and that which didn't left her close to ripping Bill's tongue out. Letting her eyes wander as to not dwell on the things he said, her sights landed on Stan who still hadn't stopped with his leering. Ever since the meeting the night before he'd kept those beady little eyes on her, and were it not for the Viking who stepped into her line of sight she may have been tempted to say something to him. Lou remained silent anyway, refusing to acknowledge Eric's rather sudden appearance.

The pain of his words from the night before was still strong, so she had no interest in even being near him.

"Don't do anything stupid." He warned, a smile tugging at his lips as he said it before his hand reached out to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. How the hell he could act like nothing had happened Lou didn't know, but she certainly wasn't about to carry on as though everything was just peachy. She ducked away from his touch, head turning to the side as to watch Bill and Sookie rather than to look him in the eye. Refusing to dignify his comment with a response she eventually turned and moved towards the car, but with a strong hand he took hold of her arm and pulled her back again.

"What, Eric?" Lou demanded with wide eyes as she glared back at him.

Pulling her slightly closer, he said in a hushed tone, "If it comes down to your or her, you get out. Don't waste time doing the brave thing. You think of yourself and leave her behind if you have to."

Eric must have lost it, she thought. That would be the only logical explanation behind his behaviour. With a loud scoff Lou shook him off, straightening out her skirt as she did.

"Stop it." She hissed, biting down hard on the inside of her cheek. "Stop pretending like you care about me, because you don't." Lou was glad now that everyone was occupied with talking to Sookie, but something told her the other vampires had only flocked around the blonde to give her another run down of the plan as to allow them some privacy.

Eric's expression dropped, and for the smallest moment the age old vampire looked torn, like he was fighting a battle with himself. When he took a step closer she assumed a side had won, but as his hands twitched at his side it became clear a part of him was still holding back.

"I have to go, Eric." Lou said with a small sigh. He nodded firmly at her words, before he finally stepped back again, whatever he was about to do seeming no longer important. She debated saying goodbye to him, as there was a very real possibility that this would be the last time she might see him, but instead Lou turned and walked towards the car as words failed her in the moment she needed them most.

Once the final check overs were done with the two girls spoke their final goodbyes to those surrounding them before they set off. Lou could hardly stop herself from glancing back at Eric in the rear view mirror, only to see that his eyes were elsewhere, staring at the wall to his left as he refused to watch them leave.  
It almost made her wish she had stayed just a bit longer to see what he had to say for himself.

As she drove it didn't escape Lou's notice that this was the first time she and Sookie had been truly alone without Compton there to keep checking up on them, and despite all the things she'd wanted to tell her just a few days ago she now found herself to be oddly quiet.

Much to her relief, Sookie had a few things she wanted to talk about.

"Rene's dead." She began quite suddenly as she fixed her hair in the rear view mirror. "He was the one killing folk, all those girls remember? He tried to kill another girl, but she killed him before he got the chance." The news came as a shock, she couldn't lie. Lou had always liked Rene. The idea that he was anything other than the kind hearted family man he showed himself to be made her wander how many others had deceived her over the years.

Perhaps she wasn't as good a judge of character as she thought.

"And uhm, I think Terry's gonna finally ask Arlene out on a date now he's gone, so who knows how that'll work out." Conversation went on like this most of the way there, with Sookie rambling on about the little things Lou had missed since her life in Bon Temps had come to an end.

It was only when they were a few minutes away from the Church that she brought up the subject Lou had been hoping to avoid.

"Do you still love my brother?" Sookie asked rather bluntly with her eyes still on the road. The girl beside her visibly tensed at her words, hands tightening around the wheel.

"What sort of question is that, Sook?" Lou replied, having never been a fan of people who answered questions with another question but seeing no other way to give herself time to debate an answer.

"A pretty valid one I think." The blonde snapped, beginning to fiddle with the hem of her dress to distract herself. With her temper quite clearly flared, Lou couldn't help but feel like this was an interrogation much like the one she'd received from Rene the night this whole mess started.

"Yes, Sookie. I still love your brother." She said with evident anger. "I've loved your brother since I was fifteen years old. I carried on loving him when he left me, when he cheated on me, and when he treat me no better than a piece of dirt on his shoe, so being a vampire is not going to make me miraculously _stop_ loving him. If it did my life would be a hell of a lot easier."

They'd moved onto the back road leading up the Church now, and for a few minutes a tense silence fell between the two of them.

"I'm sorry." Sookie said quietly, finally looking over to Lou as she did. "I just thought with you living with Eric for so long and how close ya'll have gotten-"

"Me and Eric are _not_ close." Lou quickly interjected, her tone even harsher now than when she'd dared to bring up Jason. "Trust me when I say you have nothing to worry about when it comes to him."

After that Sookie got the message loud and clear before she fell quiet, but as they were coming up to the iron gates that surrounded the Light of Day church the silence was short lived.

"Can I help you, ladies?" The man guarding the fences asked, leaning down to look through the open passenger window as they pulled to a stop.

"Oh, me and my cousin are here for the lock-in. We're looking for a new Church and what with us bein' from a small town we wanted to find us a good one, wholesome kinda place to focuses on our faith and-"

"It's okay Miss, you can head right on in." The Guard chuckled as Sookie rambled on. In retrospect it would've been for the best if Lou had talked, what with the blonde's nervous rambling always coming to light at the most inconvenient moments. Then again, the more obvious Lou made herself the more likely it was someone would realise what she was, so tolerating Sookie's babbling was their only choice.

As they pulled up they spotted families all heading inside, bags under their arms for the night ahead. The Church lock-in was the perfect time for them to try and integrate themselves. Almost the entire congregation would be there for one night within an enclosed space, meaning Sookie could read as many of them as possible to see if anyone actually knew where Godric was.

"Just keep smiling and being overly polite." Lou said, plastering on her own insanely fake grin as she spoke. Sookie nodded once and took on a similar expression before the two girls climbed out of the car and went to grab their over night bags. Together they made quite the team, laughing and giggling and generally acting as though they were the perfect little country bumpkins. After twenty years of living in Bon Temps they'd picked up a few things in the way of playing the innocent girls next door, but for Sookie it wasn't so much of an act.

"Are ya'll here for the lock-in?" A woman asked who was meeting and greeting on the doors. She was a tiny little thing, with hair bigger than her head that looked to be bottle blonde, and a pearly grin that shone against her tanned skin. It was like looking straight at the sun without any blinders on, and not in a good way.

"Mhmm, me and my cousin Holly were thinking of joining the congregation, and we thought tonight would be a good time to meet all ya'll lovely people." Sookie said with a small and girlish giggle, her accent suddenly stronger as to further their act. "Oh you must think I'm so rude, my names Annie." She quickly added, taking the others hand and shaking it.

"Well ain't you just a little ball of loveliness? I'm the Reverends wife, but ya'll can call me Sarah." The blonde greeted, though no introductions were needed. Sarah Newlin was never far away from her husband, be that in real life or the press.

"Why thank you! Now I think we're gonna head on inside to get a good spot before everyone else gets there first!" Sookie laughed, quickly grabbing Louisa's hand and moving to drag her inside. The second they were indoors Sook walked over to a darkest corner of the room as the others filed through to the heart of the church, her smile dropping to make way for the fear in her eyes once the shadows had hidden them from sight.

"Lou she knows who we are." She said in an almost frantic rush. "I don't know how but she knows our names, where we're from, everything. And now we're screwed because she's going to tell her husband we're here for the other vampire."

Lou would be lying if she said that panic didn't hit her.

They'd barely walked by five people yet, and with no leads as to the whereabouts of Godric it seemed this entire mission was screwed from the word go. She should have listened to Eric, she thought. She should have left all this to the people involved and stayed locked away in her hotel room as she'd originally intended to.

But she was here now and there was no changing that, so she had to keep a cool head if the two of them were going to make it out of there alive. It took her a moment to compose herself, but eventually Lou managed to lock her emotions away in the back of her mind and think objectively. All the fear and the panic was just pushed aside like it didn't exist.

It was easier than she thought it would be, ignoring her emotions. It worried her slightly that she could lock them away with such little effort.

"It's going to be fine, Sookie. I won't let them hurt you." Lou said with reassuring eyes. Even thinking of things she'd do to protect the girl stood in front of her made it hard to keep her fangs in place. "We're gonna head to the basements. If Godric's here, he'll be down there to keep away from the sun, so we need to at least check before we get out... And if something happens to me, you run. These people aren't about to sympathise with a girl who'll willingly associate with vampires, so you just get the fuck out of here. Okay?"

Sookie looked up at her with wide chocolate eyes, ones that were so similar to her brothers it was almost painful for Lou to look for too long. Eventually they closed and she nodded firmly, which seemed to be their queue to get moving.

Seen as though their covers were already blown, Lou took both their bags and threw them into the corner with no intention of grabbing them again later. She put her smile firmly back in place for fear anyone might see them, but upon seeing Sookie hadn't done the same she quickly took hold of her friends hand. She was terrified, but when you're human you have the luxury of succumbing to fear. Lou did not.

The basement wasn't all that difficult to find. The two just followed some meat head who fitted the description Isobel had given of Steve Newlin's right hand man.

"Are you getting anything?" Lou whispered to Sookie as they stood at the top of the stairs that lead down to the crypts beneath.

"The Guard guy's thinking in some sort of code, I don't know what it is.. And I can't pick up vampires." She replied, so in other words even if Godric was down there they had no way of knowing without looking themselves. Lou gave her hand a small but reassuring squeeze, before she lead the decent into the basement.

It was too quiet, the sounds of laughing children and families from above having ebbed away the further down they went. Lou managed to make her steps along the wooden stairs silent, but Sookie of course was a little heavier under foot. As they reached the long hallway that lead down through the underbelly of the church Lou let her fangs click into place.

Something wasn't right.

"It's a trap." Sookie quickly said, her entire body freezing as she looked forward with a blank stare. "Lou, it's a trap!"

But her words came too late. The man they'd followed down there emerged from inside a mesh cell with a small, sick smile pulling at his lips. In a moment of panic Lou turned back to the stairs and dragged Sookie with her to try and make their escape, but the second she went to take her first step there was a loud bang, followed by excruciating pain running up her leg.

An agonizing scream escaped her lips as she fell to her knees, and all Sookie could do was watch on as Lou fell flat to the floor. She'd never experienced pain like this before, not even as a human, so to look down and see it was a bullet wound that ran through her thigh she could only think of one reason why the pain would be so unbearable. Silver bullets.

"Run!" She shouted to Sookie, but the young girl seemed paralysed with fear and instead awaited the hands of the man behind them to grab hold of her. Lou tried to reach out to stop him but as the silver ripped through more muscle she could do nothing but lay there screaming as Sookie was thrown into the cell their attacker had been lurking inside.

"Good shot, Gabe!" An all too chipper voice sung as another body emerged from the stair case. From the pedicured hair and saint like smile, Lou could only assume as she caught sight of him that this was the legendary Steve Newlin. "Now get the Fanger in there before her body pushes the bullet out."

Whilst the burly guard dragged the wailing girl into the cage by her ankle, Sookie sat in the far corner of the cell staring at the floor with wide eyes as though she'd just seen a ghost. Lou would have tried to help her in some way were it not for the fact that she could think of nothing but the white hot pain searing along the left side of her body.

"You really think a steel cell is going to keep me locked up?" Lou laughed as she felt the bullet pushing its way back through her flesh.

"If it was actually steel perhaps not, but considering we had the good sense of mind to use silver, I don't think you're going anywhere." Newlin chuckled as he fixed his lemon tie. "Though I suggest you work something out before sunrise, or else you're meeting the sun with the other leech we've got rotting down here."

"Godric?" Lou asked hopefully after the metal dropped out of her thigh and onto the floor with a small clink. "You mean Godric, right?" The two men laughed in unison, the heavier of the two who she assumed to be Gabe stalking towards the cage as he regarded her with disgust.

"So your people sent you in here without even knowing for certain if we had him?" He asked, leaning forward as his fingers threaded through mesh wire surrounding them.

"Go fuck yourself." Lou hissed as she finally stood, watching her skin knit back together instead of looking him in the eye as she spoke. Once she did glance up, she saw much to her horror that he was leering over Sookie who was still frozen in the corner, wetting his lips as he let his eyes drag over her body. She didn't need to read minds to know what he was thinking.

In the blink of an eye Lou was blocking his view, her fangs bared as a low hiss escaped her. "I'm gonna kill you first when I get out of here."

Her words struck him like a fist and he abruptly took a few steps back, eyes narrowing on the girl who wasn't afraid to follow through on her threats. Newlin watched his lap dog waver and began backing away with a scowl on his lips.

"We'll be back for you later, sweetheart!" He called back, before the two finally made their way up the stairs that were just out of sight. The second they were gone Lou ran to kneel in front of Sookie, but the young human still looked as though she was in shock.

"Sook? Sook, I need you to stay with me." Her tear filled eyes came to rest on Louisa's own that looked dark blue in the fluorescents, and she shook her head gently.

"He was imagining you." She said in a voice barely above a whisper. "You were burning, over and over again and they were all so happy about you dying. They were laughing and joking about it, and Jason he-" She paused suddenly, thinking better of her words before she said them.

"Jason?" Lou repeated with a raised brow, but again Sookie just sat shaking her head and refused to continue.

"After all these years people can still find new ways to shock me... I'm gettin' a little tired of it." Her voice was so utterly broken, like she had given up entirely. Whatever she had seen Lou could only assume it was truly horrifying as Sookie had never reacted to someone's thoughts like this before. It prompted her to reach out and gently cup the blonde's face, in the same manner Eric did to Lou whenever he was trying to sooth her.

"It's okay, Sookie. They won't get the chance to kill me. Any minute now Bill's gonna come running through that door like he always does when you get yourself in a mess, and we'll be fine."

But Bill did not come.

The two girls sat there waiting for a rescue party that didn't exist, and slowly fear and doubt crept its way into the back of Louisa's mind. She was under no pretence that anyone back at Hotel Carmilla cared about her, but she'd thought at the very least they'd want to get Sookie out alive, if for nothing else than to use her abilities again. Yet still no one came in the hours they waited.

When Gabe appeared at the foot of the stairs again, it seemed time had run out. He had a friend in tow that looked around the same age as Sookie, with a square head and too much gel in his hair. Lou may have dwelled longer on his appearance were she not so preoccupied by the silver chains in his hands.

"No!" Sookie screamed as she flew up, the first words she'd said since her little revelation about Gabe's sadistic day dreams earlier that night. "She's never hurt a soul. Lou isn't like the others, she's good and kind and-... You can't kill her for things she can't control, please!"

It seemed now was the time for Lou to meet her maker.

"Let them in." She insisted, pushing Sookie aside gently. "I'm not afraid." It was clear that this was a lie from her trembling hands and her quivering bottom lip, but whatever semblance of a plan she had relied on them opening that silver door.

"Open it." Gabe said chuckling, pulling his gun out of it's holster once more to aim at Lou's heart. He was shooting to kill this time. She stood there in calm wait, keeping Sookie back with slightly spread arms. The door swung open with a loud creak, and after that everything happened in a bit of a blur.

Louisa lunged for the boy holding the silver the same moment Gabe fired, but his aim was off by just enough for the silver bullet to glide past her. Once the boy was on the floor with Lou above him she debated snapping his neck to give him a quick death, but that would be breaking a very important promise she made earlier, so she just hit his head hard against the concrete floor to knock him out.

In this time Gabe hadn't even reloaded.

His fingers where fumbling with silver bullets, and Lou couldn't help but think her drunken father was better at loading a gun under pressure than this fool. Before he had chance to aim that thing at her again she was stood before him with an almost playful smile, before her hand forced its way through the flesh and tissue of his neck and her fingers entwined around his jugular. With one clean pull, she ripped out his throat

Standing there with heavy breaths, Lou looked at the crumpled body on the floor and felt a weight fall on her chest. No matter how deserving he was of the death he'd received his was still the first life she'd taken, though now was not the time to dwell on her humanity, so she once again pushed her emotions into a tight little box where they didn't exist before she looked back to Sookie.

That was the worst moment, when she saw the fear in her friends eyes.

But as Lou extended her hand in the girls direction she didn't hesitate to run over the bodies on the floor to take hold of it. Sookie might be scared but at least she was smart enough to understand that Lou had only done what she had to in order to get them out.

Ignoring her every survival instinct, she began to run down the hall with Sookie by her side in the vain hope of finding Godric. She knew at this point that saving their own asses would be the wise option but then all the pain they'd already gone through would be for nothing. If they were still to somehow find him then at least they could say the night had not been a failure.

Lou stopped abruptly outside what looked to be a silver vault. Some kind of instinct called to her, one she knew she had to follow.

"He's in here." She murmured before reaching out and taking hold of the handles. The metal cut through her skin but Louisa didn't have the good sense to let go, instead ripping the door from it's hinges and casting it aside with the strength of ten men.

It was easy to ignore the pain once she caught sight of him.

Godric.

* * *

_This chapter was actually so much fun to write._

Anyway, as I said Chapter 9 should be up later as it's only a case of proofreading it. I really hope you enjoyed this one, and as always I'd love to here what you think in the reviews! :)


	9. Chapter 9

_This one was a bitch to proof read._ I swear to god I must have been half asleep when I originally wrote this! But anyway, I finally got it finished and I'm hoping you guys like it.

* * *

Godric was a boy.

He must have barely been eighteen when he became immortal, his features still carrying an innocence to them which contradicted his reputation. There was an ethereal air about him no doubt due to the white linen he wore, and though he was clearly muscular Lou guessed he must stand at least a whole head shorter than Eric.

Despite this there was an obvious strength that Godric radiated, one that was easy to be drawn into. It was like he was gravity, pulling Lou in without her even knowing. She put it down to his age and for the briefest moment wandered if she might live to be as old as him, before she remembered they didn't exactly have the time for her to get distracted by such things.

"Hi," Lou said as she moved closer. "It's time for us to go."

"I'm not going anywhere." He said calmly, his accent more European than American. It made her think of a certain Viking who she hoped might make an appearance soon.

"Eric sent us." She said, watching his ears visibly prick at the name. From above them came the sound of a siren that meant they had very little time left. It was only when she heard the distant screech of a woman that Lou guessed who'd caused them to raise the alarms. "Speak of the devil..." She muttered with an almost chuckle.

There was a gush of wind that followed Eric Northman as he sprinted into the basements of the Fellowship, pushing straight past Sookie to stand by Lou's side and look into the eyes of the man who he'd been desperately searching for. Louisa had seen him looking vulnerable in the past, but that was nothing compared to now.

With innocent eyes and parted lips he knelt before the boy in front of them, ignoring the presence of anybody else in the room.

"Godric." He murmured in a gentle tone, like a child addressing their father after they know they've done wrong.

"You were stupid to send a human and a child after me." The other vampire hissed before gesturing for him to stand. Eric did so but kept his eyes bowed like he was afraid to meet the others gaze.

"You left me no other choice." He said in an almost desperate tone, pushing Godric to take a step closer to him with a cold glare. It was plain fear that pushed Lou to move between the two of them, standing in front of Eric as she did Sookie not long before as to protect him. She knew Godric was both older and stronger than her so even thinking of challenging him was laughable, but all the same she felt the need to make it known that she wouldn't stand by if he intended on hurting Eric.

No matter how little she may have meant to him, there was no denying that Lou cared a little to much about what happened to the stupid oaf.

She expected some kind of conflict to arise, but instead Godric let his lips pull into a small smile. He looked quite beautiful like that.

"Get the girls out of here," He said in a gentle tone as his demeanour softened once more, looking up to Eric as he did. "I'll find my own way out. Spill no blood as you leave." And on queue the sound of footsteps came from above as the Fellowship's boy soldiers filed in to defend the people. The four of them didn't have long now.

"Must I command you?" Godric added in a warning tone when the taller vampire hesitated.

Suddenly it all made sense. Why Eric couldn't understand Lou's hatred for Bill, why he needed to find Godric again, and most of all why he seemed so frightened in his presence.

Godric was his Maker.

Before Lou had time to process this new information she felt a hand take hold of hers and Eric was dragging her back out the small vault, a rather flustered looking Sookie following closely behind them.

"Where's Bill?" She asked, earning herself an eye roll from the two vampires leading the little escape party.

"Otherwise occupied." Eric snapped, his hand still tightly holding Lou's. She made no move to pull away from him as she was glad to finally have someone else to rely on. With him there it meant she didn't have to be entirely strong or in control. It was safe to feel a bit weak.

They went as though to head straight through the front door, but upon seeing a brigade of boys heading their way wielding stakes and silver axes they realised that wasn't an option. Lou acted first, dragging the two by her side into the shadows.

"What do we do?" She asked looking to Eric when she could think of no other way out. "I can distract them, give you two a chance to get away-"

"Don't be an idiot, Louisa." He grumbled, trying to think of a way out as the men moved closer to the doors that separated them.

"Through here!" Sookie shouted from their side, the two having not noticed her heading towards the heart of the Church. They had no other option so Eric and Lou followed, remaining close to each other as they marched.

Steve Newlin was already waiting for them at the alter with a smile brighter than the suit he wore.

Eric stopped first and pushed Lou behind him as a low hiss came from the back of his throat, his knees bending slightly as though he might hurl himself through the air at any moment. Were it not for the twenty men that followed behind them, all of whom were brandishing stakes and silver, Lou didn't doubt that he would have. Unfortunately they were trapped and woefully out numbered, so their only chance of survival was cooperation.

"Well well," Newlin began in that ever high pitched tone of his. "Three vampires for the price of one. The lord has blessed us."

Whilst he spoke Lou reached out to take hold of Sookie's hand, pulling her close to keep the promise she'd made to protect her. Nothing had changed in that respect. It was still her job to keep the other safe.

Eric looked around the room searching for some kind of exit before his eyes landed on Lou's. It was a moment of recognition between the two of them, for at the same moment they both realised that this was it. There was no way out. If they tried to run they'd probably get shot and they couldn't take on the men surrounding them without signing themselves up for the true death. In short, there was no escape.

It wasn't until it became clear death was imminent that Louisa finally realised a very vital fact. That even despite what Bill had made her into and all she had lost, she did not want to die. Not now.

For so long she'd been certain that the true death was all she truly desired as in it she might find some peace, but now when the realisation hit her that she would probably die in that church Lou felt no relief. There was still so much she wanted to do and see in this world, and she'd wasted whatever time she'd had being consumed with an overwhelming hatred for what she was.

And then there was him, the one who she pushed away at every turn because he wasn't part of the life she wanted. Lou had been telling herself for so long she hated him that she'd actually believed it, but looking into the seemingly endless blue of Eric Northman's eyes she knew that wasn't true. Whatever she felt for him was far from hatred.

It was his voice that broke above the whispers around them.

"I offer myself for the girl's freedoms," He began as his fangs clicked back up. "You can do whatever you like with me so long as they go free." He was facing Newlin now and so couldn't see the horror Louisa felt at his words.

"You honestly think I'm going to let your little Fanger girlfriend go?" Steve chuckled as he took a few steps closer to the three of them, nodding towards Lou in indication. "She killed one of our best men, so she must atone for her sins just as you will."

"Fine." Lou said clearly, dropping Sookie's hand to stand by Eric's side. She didn't take hold of him as she wanted to for fear of looking weak, instead standing with her fists balled and her head held high. "Stake me, burn me, I don't give a fuck. But you let the girl go. She's innocent in all of this."

Eric looked for a second as though he might protest, but when he remained silent Lou guessed he thought better of it. Besides, the boy soldiers had silver wrapped around their necks before either of them could take back their sacrifices.

Being so old Eric knew how to effectively hide his pain, but Lou had to fight back the cries as she was dragged along and metal cut through her skin. It was a liquid hot kind of agony, the kind you can't even contemplate until you've felt it yourself.

She and Eric were thrown onto a stone slab at the front of the church before more chains were added around their necks, hands and feet to keep them in position. Whilst trying to ignore the pain Lou glanced around, watching as one of the men restrained Sookie who was trying to get to them. There was a moment where she debated whether the blonde was worth losing her life for, but instantly she knew the answer. Lou had spent her entire life trying to protect those she loved, and tonight was to be no exception. If losing her life was what it took to save Sookie then that was what she would do.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, not daring to look at the vampire by her side. Newlin was rambling on in front of them, but as she had no interest in hearing about his holy mission Lou felt now was a good time to make peace, especially as it might be the last chance she had to do so. "I shouldn't have come here."

"If you hadn't Sookie would probably be dead." Eric replied, his words spoken through gritted teeth as he tried to push through the pain. "You did the right thing." He added, and in spite of the silver cutting through his wrists he shuffled his hand closer to hers before placing his fingers softly across her palm.

"Bring the girl up. I want Miss Stackhouse to have a front row seat of her friends demise before we deal with her next." Newlin said gesturing to one of his goons. The part where they were to die Lou tried to accept, but Sookie joining them she could not. God knows she wouldn't have relented so easily if she thought she wasn't securing Sookie's safety. Much to her surprise it was Sarah Newlin who protested first.

"Steve, she's just a girl." The ditzy blonde said with outrage evident in her voice.

"She's a sympathizer, the kind who shall not be tolerated in our new society!" He shouted back. As panic rose Lou tried to fight against the chains holding her down, but she was too weak. No matter how hard she fought there was no release from this agony, and no way to get to Sookie.

It seemed that hope was lost, so of course that was the moment Bill Compton finally decided to make his entrance.

"Sookie!" The familiar vampire shouted from the bottom of the church with his southern drawl, before he went sprinting up the aisle towards those who'd gathered near the front.

"One more step vampire and the girl dies." Newlin threatened in turn, and much to Lou's frustration she couldn't twist her head for the silver around her neck to see what was happening.

"If you shoot her, _everyone_ here shall die." Bill retaliated, something his progeny would gladly have assisted with. She just had to hope she could get out of the chains fast enough to finish the Reverend herself.

"Newlin!" The new voice suddenly echoed through the hall. Lou thought she was imagining things now, for it couldn't be him. Surely it _couldn't_ be him. "Get your hands off her, fuck-wad!" But that sure as hell sounded like something he'd say.

Lou struggled more than ever, desperate to catch just a glimpse of the boy who shouldn't be here. In all the commotion Sookie was somehow able to break free from the hands that held her, before she ran up to the slab and removed the silver chains from their bodies. Both of them breathed sighs of relief before they sat upright, but Lou could think very little about her healing body as she started searching for his face.

When her eyes finally found him it wasn't happiness she felt. In fact it was almost like getting a kick in the gut.

Jason Stackhouse.

He was as beautiful as she remembered, her memories if anything not doing him justice. He had the same eyes, the same lips, the same stupid hair, and yet when she looked at him now there was something entirely different about him. It was like the boy she had loved somehow turned into a man whilst she was gone. He met her gaze accidentally, having been looking at Eric before he glanced to her. Lou could see it in his vacant glare that he had no idea who she was at first, and that was probably the part that hurt the most.

Then she saw it click.

"Let's go!" Sookie shouted, grabbing hold of Lou's hand to try and drag her out of there. She was about to follow when she looked back to Eric, who to her surprise had also been glaring at Jason. Seeming enraged he suddenly lunged forward to grab hold of Steve Newlin, before he slammed his body hard into the steps beneath them and held the Reverend there by his neck.

"Do not kill him!" Lou shouted as she shook Sookie off her, having to kneel down on the other side of the trembling man on the floor to catch his eye. "Godric said we spill no blood. Don't give these people the satisfaction of proving them right about us." Eric reluctantly looked back at her, and in doing so softened slightly which led to his hesitation.

"Please, martyr us!" Newlin shouted from where he laid on the floor. "Marty us all! We shall be accepted into the kingdom of heaven as legen-"

"Do you ever shut the fuck up?" Lou shouted to cut him off, having to slam her hand over his mouth to make him be quiet for just five seconds, but she did so without taking her eyes of Eric's. The two remained like that for a few moments before she spoke again, staring at each other before she said almost desperately. "We can go home."

Eric pulled his hand back almost instantly, her words somehow being what he needed to hear in that moment. Of course overcoming that hurdle was not the last bump in the road, as with everything related to vampires there's always something waiting around the corner to make things worse.

This time it came in the form of Stan.

The doors swung open at the bottom of the church, and in filed Godric's loyal followers with the wannabe cowboy leading the group. The boys who'd been recruited by the Fellowship looked as though they were about to hurl, having no doubt never been faced with quite so many angry vampires before.

"Steve Newlin! You have pushed us too far." Stan called out as he moved closer to where the man in question laid crumpled on the steps.

"What do you think you're doing?" Eric demanded as he turned to look at him, but he was ignored as the vampires around them each grabbed the first human they could with their fangs bared and intentions clear. Shrieks spread across the church as the soldiers who were suppose to protect everyone stood there cowering. It wasn't until Lou spotted the face of a child amongst the people of Steve Newlin's congregation that she realised just how wrong everything was. She would not be silent as innocent people lost their lives just as so many were when she lost hers.

"These people have done nothing to us." Lou said, stepping around Eric to stand in front of Stan who was advancing on her. "If you have a grudge to settle with Newlin that's between you and him, but we have no reason to harm anyone else!"

Her words were ignored as the far older vampire cast her aside with the flick of his wrist, shoving her hard to the floor where she landed with a loud crack. Of course she hardly felt the blow, but that didn't stop the reactions that followed.

"Touch her again you fucking asshole and I swear to god-!" Jason shouted from the back of the hall much to everyone's surprise, half of the people there no doubt oblivious to the fact that Lou even knew the human. It was Eric though who truly acted on what Stan had just done, running to grab him by the throat and lift him off the ground.

"I should kill you for that." He said with a near growl, easily holding him up and looking as though he might rip his head clean off. With vampires turning on each other and the followers becoming restless, it became clear that things were about to descend into madness.

Therefore Godric's arrival could not have been better timed.

"Enough!" His voice rang out over the room as he stood above the alter, looking down on all those below him with a calm gaze. At his indirect command Eric dropped Stan instantly and looked up to his Maker, awaiting him to say something more.

"This child has more sense than so many of you," He began, glancing over to Lou who had since pulled herself back to her feet. "She does not see humans as our lessers, rather our equals as we all should... We can co-exist if that's what we strive for. Now Mr Newlin, I do not wish for any bloodshed today. Please help me in setting an example for our people by agreeing to leave us in peace, if we do you the same courtesy."

It seemed like the fairest option to Lou, and as she glanced over to Eric she saw in his eyes that even he could see the benefits of such an arrangement. Of course someone quite as idiotic as Newlin did not.

"I do not negotiate with sub-humans." He spat, pulling himself to his knees and shuffling closer to where Eric stood. "Kill me," He said with contorted features, presenting his neck to the vampire before him. "Jesus shall protect me."

"I am actually older than your Jesus." Godric replied before anyone could take him up on that all too tempting offer. "I wish I could have known him, but I missed it." The shrug that followed was almost comical, or perhaps it was the dumbfounded look on Steve Newlin's face that left Lou smiling.

He was gone in a blur, the sound of the wind moving around him being the only indication of where Godric was going. Eventually he stopped behind where Newlin knelt before his hand pulled him up by the scruff of his neck.

"Good people, who of you are willing to die for this man's madness?" He called out to the congregation. Their leader looked hopeful, but every last one of them remained silent, even the soldiers who were supposedly trained to give their lives in order to further their holy cause.

"That's what I thought." Godric added after a few moments went by. "Everybody stand down. You should all return home... It is over now." There seemed to be a collective sigh of relief that spread across the hall, and as the vampires were forced to release the humans they began to flee from the Church as quickly as they could.

And somehow amongst all the madness, Lou had managed to survive.

"Fuck me." She whispered to herself, having to hold onto one of the pews in order to support her weight as she felt at any moment her knees might buckle underneath her. Never too far from her side, Eric was soon stood behind Lou with his hands on her waist to help her stand upright.

"It's okay," He whispered so she was the only one to hear him. "We can go now." Lou nodded slightly before she started shuffling, her hand seeking out Eric's for comfort as she began the slow walk back down the aisle of the church. That was where he stood waiting for her in all his messed up glory, sporting his usual confused expression. After catching his eyes on her Lou felt her stomach drop, because she knew all this wouldn't be as simple as it had been with Sookie.

Jason deserved the truth.

Dropping Eric's hand she walked over to him and stopped once she was close enough to see the specks of gold in his eyes.

"It's uhm... It'll be sunrise soon so I can't explain now, but we should talk tomorrow night. I promise." Lou spoke quietly like she was frightened she might startle him, but from how he could only nod in response she guessed she had anyway. Unsure of what else to say the young vampire forced the smallest of the smiles, and made her way out of the Church with Eric in tow.

It may be over for everyone else, but for Lou the pain had only just begun.

* * *

_And there's chapter 9!_ I hope you liked my little changes to the Fellowship scene and the parts I kept the same. It was hard to find a balance between deviating from the show enough for it to be different, without changing it entirely, but I was quite happy with how this turned out. I'd love to hear what you think though! :)

We've got some heavy stuff on the horizon, so I hope you guys are ready.


	10. Chapter 10

_Here's Chapter 10!_ I really hope you like it because I was particularly proud of how this one turned out! :)

* * *

Lou was silent on the journey back to the Hotel, refusing to acknowledge the people who tried to talk to her, Eric included. She just ran through the streets of Dallas and focused on the wind on her skin and the bed waiting for her back at Carmilla.

The lobby was near empty when they returned what with sunrise being so soon, but Eric and Lou still got a few confused glances from the people lingering around. They were quite a sight, covered in a mixture of their own blood and that of the people who'd gotten in their way.

Were she not so close to snapping Lou might have cared more about their thoughts on her.

It wasn't until they were inside the elevator that she finally spoke up.

"Shouldn't you be going to Godric's Nest?" She asked softly, her head resting against the wall beside her.

"I decided to stay here for tonight to make sure you don't have another one of your breakdowns." From anyone else she may have been offended by the comment, but it was Eric she was talking to, and they both knew he could have said far worse.

They were back in their hotel suit within a matter of moments, and despite knowing her troubles were far from over Lou couldn't help but feel a little relieved. She debated heading straight for a shower before dawn came, but instead she stood with her back pressed against the door as she watched Eric walk around the room.

"You're really confusing." She mumbled without any thought to where this conversation might lead them. Her filter was gone for the night, so Lou seemed to be past the point of caring if he had one of his infamous mood swings.

"Explain." Eric said in simple reply, leaning against the back of the sofa with his arms folded across his chest to look at her. She hardly had to think before a hundred different points came to mind.

"You want me to be independent but you constantly try to shelter me. You'll laugh with me and then in the next breath you'll be threatening me. You say I mean nothing to you but you don't _treat_ me like someone who means nothing..." Her words trailed off slightly as Louisa's eyes began to well with tears. She told herself it was because she was tired, but she knew as well as anyone else that vampire's didn't feel the same exhaustion humans did.

It was sheer frustration that made her want to weep.

"I don't know where I stand with you any more, and now Jason's here I need to know." She realised she was being a little too honest now as she saw Eric's jaw tighten at the mention of the name.

"What do I have to do with the Stackhouse boy?" He asked with disgust, like being associated with him in anyway was offensive. Lou rubbed the back of her neck as a slow sigh escaped her, having hoped he might have worked that much out by now.

"You have everything to do with him, Eric." She looked back at him and wished he understood without her having to say it, but there was nothing there in those blue eyes she'd come to know so well. All she saw was indifference.

"You just don't care." Her whispered words were mainly to herself, but it was obvious Eric heard them from how he suddenly looked away. There was a silence that followed which Lou wanted to end, but she just stood there waiting for him to say something that might salvage the situation. In time she realised Eric had nothing to add, and so instead of waiting around for something that wasn't going to happen she silently started making her way towards her bedroom.

"Louisa," Eric's voice called from behind. Hope flared in her chest as she turned back to see him standing. It seemed yet again that he was fighting some kind of battle within himself, his body twitching as he went to take a step toward her before it was the other side that won and forced him to sit back down.

Lou could thinking of nothing to say so she turned and walked into her room, ensuring to slam the door behind her.

She didn't even have the energy to cry over him tonight. Instead she crawled into bed and hoped sunrise would come quickly so she might be dead to the world for a little while.

* * *

Eric was gone when Lou awoke the next evening. There was no sign that he'd slept there at all, but she was glad for the solitude. It gave her time to think.

At least that was what she intended on doing before Sookie showed up at her door.

"Glad to see you got showered." Was her friends greeting the moment Lou let her in. The brunette was clad in nothing but a bath robe, having been too lazy to find clothes out when there'd been no company to impress until now.

"The blood was beginning to itch." Lou replied a little carelessly, only realising a moment later that some humans might be made uncomfortable by such comments. Luckily Sookie just laughed slightly as though she understood. The fact that she might know what dried blood felt like proved to be a little worrying, but Lou was too occupied by the make up bag in Sook's hand to comment.

"What's that for?" She asked as she closed the door again. With an all new kind of excitment Sookie took hold of Lou's hand and began dragging her towards her bedroom, luckily picking the right one opposed to accidentally wandering into Eric's.

"Godric's having a celebration of sorts because everyone's home safe. I thought we could get ready together, like old times." Sookie sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Lou with her, though she hardly looked enthralled with the idea.

"I don't know, Sook. I'm not really in the mood to celebrate-" She began, but as a warm hand came over her mouth she was forced to remain silent.

"Nope, we'll have none of that. If you stay here on your own all night you'll be miserable, and I won't be having it." Sookie was speaking with that small smile of hers, the warming one that reminded Lou of her mother. Removing her hand she let her knuckles brush playfully against the others cool skin before she added, "And I've missed you. It'll be nice to spend a bit of time together away from all the madness."

Tempting as all that sounded, there was no denying that Lou would much rather spend her night hidden in the hotel. Unfortunately she knew Sookie was right and the fact that she'd promised Jason an explanation hadn't escaped her. That was something she knew she couldn't avoid.

So the two girls began getting ready together, talking about unimportant things like who was dating who and what movies they wanted to see once they were back home. It felt like they were fifteen all over again and for just a little while it was almost easy to forget all that had happened.

"Is it weird not hearing my thoughts any more?" Lou asked, taking the conversation to a rather taboo place. Once upon a time the subject of Sookie's little gift was completely off limits, but after the week they'd just shared it felt like safer ground again. The blonde didn't even debate her answer before she nodded.

"Very. I always quite liked knowing what you were thinking. I never realised how hard you are to read before I couldn't listen in any more." She chuckled slightly as she spoke, holding a white dress up to herself in the mirror. "If I could it'd sure as hell help me understand what's going off between you and Eric." She added as a quiet grumble, but Lou still heard her.

"I don't know what's happening either, so good luck with that one." Lou replied going to grab the blue dress she saved for special occasions, one that wasn't too dissimilar to what she wore the night she died. She assumed Eric had packed it for her in case an event like this presented itself.

"He's never exactly been easy." Sookie said with a shrug as she changed, something Louisa knew better than most.

"I don't need easy... I need clear. I need for him to be honest just once in his fucking life instead of acting like he has a severe bipolar disorder." Lou rambled on as she zipped up the side of her dress. Sookie could only look on with a mixture of mild amusement and worry as she finished getting changed herself.

"He's really gotten under your skin, huh?" She asked softly, something Lou couldn't answer without outright lying to her. The fact of the matter was that Eric Northman had done far more than rub her up the wrong way, and thinking of this made Lou more thankful than ever that her thoughts were off limits to Sookie now.

"We should get going." She said with a very small smile. It was tense for a moment as the blonde looked as though she might push the matter further, but in the end Sookie nodded happily.

The subject of Lou and Eric was dropped entirely after that.

* * *

Godric's Nest was beautiful in a cold kind of way. Not a piece of furniture broke the monochromatic colour scheme, everything having it's place in the modern build on the outskirts of town. Even the people who filled the house seemed to blend in amongst the black and white, so Louisa felt a little out of place in her dress.

Her thoughts were a little too cluttered with how she looked when she walked through the nest, for if they hadn't been she might have seen him sooner. He was stood in the farthest corner of the room talking to Godric about god only knows what, his body language awkward and mouth fumbling over his speech.

That was Jason for you. Ever the clumsy fool when it came to words.

Lou was about to walk over to them when she felt the eyes on her, but much like the instinct she felt in the basement she didn't need to look to know who it was. Glancing over her shoulder to catch his gaze, blue eyes met hazel and Lou felt her heart drop.

Eric Northman was stood alone, giving off his usual aloof vibes everytime someone tried to talk to him. He was dressed all in black, wearing a wife beater that looked simple amongst the crowd of well dressed vampires, yet she decided she liked how he looked. She always did.

He seemed more peaceful tonight, no doubt because of Godric's return. Lou found herself glad to see his eyes not looking quite so heavy.

She nodded to him in a silent hello and watched as he returned the gesture, his lip twitching for a moment as though he might actually smile, before he remembered just as she did that they weren't on friendly terms. There was still an obvious tension between the two, but she promised herself she would talk to him later. First she owed a certain Stackhouse an explanation.

Looking back over to Godric she saw Jason had disappeared again, but with the knowledge that he was around somewhere she felt safe enough to approach the small queue of people waiting to pay their thanks to the Sheriff. They were all reasonably quick, so Lou found herself stood before the vampire sooner than she had hoped.

"I uhm... I'm sorry for how I growled at you in the basement. Eric's done a lot for me is all and I didn't want to see him to get hurt when he just wanted you home. But I'm really glad you're okay." Her words came out so rushed it was clear the young vampire was nervous in his presence. Godric however sat there with a small smile on his lips, looking somewhat fascinated by the girl in front of him.

"Leave us." He said clearly. Lou swallowed hard as the others made their way out the room, certain he was about to punish her for something. She may be young but that was no excuse for challenging a Sheriff the way she did, let alone one who was two thousand years her elder. To her surprise Godric remained calm as he patted the seat beside his, and indication for Lou for join him which she did without hesitation.

The two were silent for a few moments more before Godric spoke.

"Were it not for you, I would be dead, as would I suspect Miss Stackhouse and my Progeny. You showed yourself to be brave, honourable, and a better woman than many I have met... And yet the first thing you think to do is apologise." He laughed at his own words, and as Lou smiled back she saw how ridiculous it sounded when she thought about it. Godric reached forward, and with soft fingers touched her chin as to tilt her head from side to side to get a better look at her.

"Hmm... You have her eyes." He murmured gently.

"Sorry?" Lou replied almost nervously, her eye lids fluttering as she looked away from his piercingly bright gaze. Godric shook his head before pulling his hand back, resting it on his lap and choosing not to elaborate. Louisa didn't question him, feeling too intimidated to do so in all honesty.

"You care a lot for Eric." He began as a change of subject, his eyes still locked on hers. "I can see it in the way you look at him." Lou hoped it wasn't this obvious to everyone who saw the two of them, but she'd never been discreet with her emotions, even as a human.

"I do." She replied, but she couldn't stop herself from casting her mind back to the nights behind them. Their conversations had made it evident that he may not care for her as she did for him, but unfortunately that didn't stop Lou. "He's a good friend."

"Just a friend?" Godric enquired with a raised brow. Were it possible Lou would have blushed but she laughed softly and shook her head. It seemed stupid to lie to one so old, so she opted to be truthful.

"It's hard to contemplate being anything more with Eric, especially when the past keeps popping up." She explained, looking out at the party through the other room with the unconscious intention of catching a pair of chocolate eyes looking back at her.

"We're talking about Mr Stackhouse, yes? I met him earlier. He's very... Southern." Lou laughed more at his description, glad when Godric grinned back at her with obvious amusement.

"That he is." She agreed nodding. Her next question escaped before she could think twice about it, and the second the words had passed her lips she regretted them. "Have you ever been in love?"

It was the silence following that left her feeling as though it had been a mistake to ask, for the moment she did she watched his eyes drop into the whisper of a memory, one that didn't exactly seem pleasant. A long while passed before he finally nodded, looking down at his hands before he began.

"It was centuries ago now. She was mortal, just a girl when we met... Elizabeth." He seemed lost in thoughts of her, and Lou could only imagine what must have happened to this human from the pain in his voice. "It was not suppose to be." He concluded with a solemn smile.

"I'm sorry," Lou said quickly. "It was rude of me to ask-"

"No, don't apologise." Godric said with his smile back in place, eyes coming to look at Louisa once more as he regained his composure. "In memories we can keep those we love alive. Unfortunately, being what we are means many of those we love become just that. Memories."

Lou did her best not to think about it, how one day they would all be gone and she would still be wandering the earth. Her father, her sister, Sookie... Jason. One day they would be nothing more than dust and Lou would find it hard to remember the way they smiled, or what their voices sounded like. Her memories would be all she had of them.

She wandered how many people Godric had lost in his life time. More than she could even contemplate no doubt.

"You should go talk to Mr Stackhouse. He said earlier he'd be looking for you." It sounded to Lou like Godric needed some time alone, so going to look for Jason didn't seem like such a bad idea after all. She nodded once before standing and moving towards the archway of the small room, though she paused as she was about to step over the threshold.

Turning back with that infectious smile of hers she said, "I really am glad you're okay. It probably doesn't mean a lot with me being a baby and us not knowing each other all that well, but it's still true."

Godric returned her smile before sighing gently, his eyes tender as he replied, "And though it may not mean much from me, I'm glad you are too."

It felt they had said all they needed to, and so Lou made her quick exit. She was heading straight for the gardens once she was done talking to Godric, knowing that Jason probably felt too awkward in a house full of vampires to stick around. Besides, he'd always liked it better outside.

Of course he was there, pacing back and forth beside the pool with a beer in hand. A smile came to her lips upon spotting him though the feeling of happiness was short lived, for the moment she'd been dreading was finally there. It was time to face her demons, and so with a strength not too dissimilar to the one she'd used the night before she walked towards him. Jason spotted her before she announced herself, but he could only stare whilst she approached him.

"Hey." Lou said as she stopped a few feet away from him, her hands ringing together in front of her. The boy who she had loved for what felt like her whole life was speechless, or rather he just didn't want to talk to her.

"I thought a Fanger had killed you." Were the words that finally escaped him, and Lou would be lying if she wasn't a little disappointed. She'd been stupid to think Jason could go for any approach that wasn't blunt to a point of shocking.

"Nope. I just became one is all." She laughed at herself, threading her arms across her chest before she realised from his wide eyes that vampire related humour probably wasn't the best approach. "Sorry.. It's just easier to laugh about it." She explained quietly.

"Oh yeah, let's just have a good old fucking joke!" He shouted in turn, his rarely touched temper making an appearance. "I'm sorry, but I don't get what part of you being a _vampire_ is suppose to be amusin' to me!" She hated him when he got like this. He was well within his rights to be hurt or angry, but getting mad at her for something she never wanted wasn't about to change all that had happened.

"Was it that Northman guy who did this to you? 'Cause I here they like to turn their little pets so they don't get old." Jason didn't know what he was talking about but he kept on going with that accusing tone, one that made Lou feel no better than a piece of crap on the curb.

"I've never been Eric's pet, Jason. And he's not my Maker either." She said in as calm a voice as she could. He hesitated a little after that, at a loss for who to be angry with. Lou knew his frustration. Feeling like that, it's as though the whole world is to blame for something a single person is responsible for, but as you can't take your hurt out on them you take it out on everybody else.

"So you started fucking him after you became a vamp, huh?" He asked. Lou stood there in silent shock, amazed that Jason Stackhouse of all people could accuse her of being loose with her affections. Yet he remained quiet as he awaited an answer.

"No, I've never fucked Eric because I've been too busy thinking about _you._ Because you're all I've thought about for the last god damn month. What, do you think I've stayed away by choice? That I didn't want to be home with you and Sookie and my family? I didn't ask for this! I wanted my old life, with my crappy trailer and my shitty boyfriend. That was _all_ I wanted." Though the tears welled in her eyes as she spoke Lou forced herself not to cry, afraid if she did the blood would repulse him.

His attitude seemed to soften now as the creases in his forehead disappeared and he took a few steps closer. After making sure her voice wouldn't break on her, Lou continued.

"I'm still me. I'm still the same old Lou..." She only paused as he reached out to her, his hand resting gently against her cheek. His touch was warmer than Eric's but she didn't particularly prefer it. She'd actually grown quite fond of cold hands against her skin.

All the same she leant just slightly into him, her lips parting as she released a shaky breath. Lou kept her eyes on Jason's, hoping and praying to see some essence of how they looked once upon a lifetime ago when he gazed down at her, but the longer she looked the more she realised that familiar glint was gone.

The same moment it hit her he pulled his hand back like she'd burnt him, cursing under his breath as he turned with his back to her.

"I can't-" Jason began with a shaky voice. "I can't love something that don't have a soul. My Lou, she had the kindest soul and you... You ain't her anymore. I'm sorry but you ain't." She was glad now that he wasn't facing her, as she could let the tears roll along her cheeks in thick trails whilst his words cut at her likes knives. Maybe he was right and she didn't have a soul, that the girl he loved was dead and gone and she was nothing more than a monster now.

But if it was true and Jason was right, why the hell did it hurt so badly?

"Then I'll leave you alone from now on, if that's what you'd like." He still couldn't bring himself to look at her as she spoke, but he nodded once Lou stopped talking. Hardly able to be near him for fear she might break down entirely she went as though to walk back to the Nest, but at the last moment stopped to say something more.

"I really did love you... And I'm so, _so_ sorry." She couldn't tell you why she apologising. It just felt appropriate given the situation. Knowing he had nothing more to say to her and she had nothing to give that might change his mind, she gathered what was left of her tattered strength and slowly made her way back to the Nest.

Walking away from Jason Stackhouse was perhaps the hardest thing Lou'd ever had to do, but somehow she did it.

The weeping vampire had barely taken a step into the crowded living room before Eric was stood in front of her, his hands coming straight up to her cheeks to wipe the blood away before others might see her.

"What did he do?" He muttered, his thumb running back and forth across her skin in a way that she found soothing.

"Please just leave it." Lou begged with desperate eyes, her hand coming up to Eric's wrist not to pull him away but to hold whatever part of him she could. Of course it wasn't in his nature to leave things be, a fact that left Louisa wishing he hadn't found her in this state as she knew he would only make things worse.

But as fate would have it, Eric would not get chance to approach Jason that night.

"Excuse me everyone, can I h-have your attention?" A rather jittery voice called from the other side of the room. Eric turned to look at who it was, but upon recognising the face he pushed Lou further behind him. Being her ever stubborn self she stepped forward again, getting close enough to look at who had brought them all to silence.

"I'm a member of the Fellowship of the Sun..." He continued, and suddenly she remembered his face. He was the boy from the basement, the one with too much gel in his hair who she'd knocked out. He'd no doubt been unconscious through everything that had happened, meaning that after his brethren abandoned the Church he'd be the only one left behind.

Growls raised from the surrounding vampires, but that was nothing compared to what followed.

"...And I have a message for ya'll from Reverend Steve Newlin." As he spoke he began unzipping his coat, revealing the weapon beneath. Were it not for the timer on his chest Lou might not have even realised it was a bomb, but before she could react, before anyone could, the boy detonated.

And after that came the chaos.

* * *

_Dun, Dun, DUUUUUUUUUN._ I do love a good cliffhanger :3

I hope you enjoyed this instalment, and as always I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!


	11. Hiatus Update

PRAISE BILLITH I'M HOME!

I had an amazing time on holiday with my friends but once I came home my Mom sprung a surprise on me, that being that I'm going on vacation again with her and my brother come Monday, and we'll be gone until the following week.

I'm going to try and upload Chapter 11 before then but if I don't I really am sorry. I'll no doubt just be busy trying to get ready to go away again.

Once again; THIS STORY WILL GET FINISHED. I swear it on the bb jesus.

Lots of love to everyone who reads this. I'll see you guys soon. ^.^


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